Early College Partners

Process & Timeline

*The AY 25-26 course request window is closed. The AY 26-27 course request window will open by August 30, 2025.

• Complete the course request form sent by Early College staff. 
• Submit all required documentation for any newly proposed instructors by the course request deadline. (See Instructor Qualifications section)
• Early College staff will prompt Oakton Academic Division Designees to begin an internal review process to consider all course requests.
• Early College staff will notify District Designees of approval status via a course affirmation document (in Google Drive). 

• For transfer courses (i.e., general education courses), instructors should have a master’s degree with 18 graduate hours in the academic field or discipline.
• For career technical education courses, instructors should have 2,000 hours of work experience and, depending on the field, the appropriate recognizable credential.

Based on those qualifications, if your school district has eligible instructors to teach Oakton courses, please upload the following required paperwork, as applicable, for proposed instructors via Google Drive shortly after completing your annual course request form:

• Resume/Curriculum Vitae 
• Undergraduate college transcripts
• Graduate college transcripts
• Credentials, certifications, and/or licenses (primarily for CTE courses)

Note: You need only submit documentation for returning instructors if requesting approval for them to teach a course in a different academic discipline.

The appropriate Oakton Academic Division Deans or department designees will review the provided documents and may request supplemental information or a meeting. 

1. Confirm which approved courses you intend to offer by March 31, 2026. 
2. Final course approval for newly approved district instructors is contingent upon their completion of our required onboarding process before teaching Oakton courses. 
3. The naming conventions of dual credit courses offered through our partnership should reflect Oakton’s course names in the high school scheduling system and student transcript  (i.e., EGL 101: Composition I).
4. Unless otherwise specified, enrollment shall not exceed Oakton’s maximum capacity. Requests for exceptions should be submitted to dualcredit@oakton.edu.
5. Textbooks and other required instructional materials are determined course-by-course by applicable Oakton Academic Division Designees.
6. Most Oakton courses offered through our partnership are reserved for high school juniors and seniors. However, freshmen and sophomores may enroll in designated career-technical courses in the following academic areas:  
   1. Accounting (ACC)
   2. Automotive Technology (ATA)
   3. Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
   4. Computer Networking Systems (CNS)
   5. Early Childhood Education (ECE)
   6. Electronics and Computer Technology (ELT) 
   7. Management (MGT) 
   8. Manufacturing
   9. Photography (ART)
   10. Management (MGT)
7. District designees should help students through the Oakton admission and registration process, which includes submitting a student application, meeting placement requirements, and enrolling in appropriate courses via myOakton. 

Application

Please advise your prospective early college students of the following:

• They must submit the Oakton dual credit application during the academic year prior to their first dual credit course. (Note: They need only apply once as a dual credit student.)
• After successful application submission, they should receive a welcome letter at the email address entered on the application within 2-3 days; errors will delay application processing.
• They must follow the instructions provided in their welcome letter to access their myOakton student account.
• A one-time $25 application fee will be added to the student's records, but Oakton will bill the high school after enrollment. (Note: You should advise students/parents of any fees they are responsible for paying directly to your high school.)

Note: Early College staff will email District Designees an Early College Admission Report (ECAR) weekly during the established admission and enrollment window for each term.

Placement

Oakton uses a variety of methods (commonly called multiple measures) for determining student eligibility for courses offered through our early college partnerships. Placement for dual credit courses is managed at the high schools in conjunction with established criteria determined by Oakton Chairperson.

Initial Enrollment

Students must self-enroll for the appropriate dual credit partnership course(s) through the myOakton student portal before each registration period end. 

• District [dual credit] instructors can access class rosters via the Faculty Services area in myOakton; rosters update in real-time.
• Additionally, Early College staff will send weekly roster updates to District Designees during the established admission/enrollment cycle each semester. 

Enrollment Changes

District designees must notify Early College staff of student drops and withdrawals by completing a Dual Credit Drop/Withdrawal Form for each student. Then, email completed forms to dualcredit@oakton.edu before drop/withdrawal deadlines. 

Enrollment Appeals

In extenuating circumstances where a student needs to be enrolled or withdrawn after established deadlines, the District Designees must notify Early College staff as soon as possible by emailing dualcredit@oakton.edu. Late enrollment or withdrawal approvals are not guaranteed and are considered on a case-by-case basis. 

All approved district instructors are required to complete a one-time, general orientation session before their first semester teaching a dual credit course. Topics covered at orientation include but are not limited to: (1) submitting course syllabi, (2) assisting students with application/registration as needed, (3) navigating myOakton to verify Oakton class lists and enter midterm and final grades.

Additionally, we have the following, ongoing expectations of all district dual credit instructors:

• Check Oakton emails daily and respond, when appropriate, to those emails in a timely fashion.
• Prepare and submit syllabi for courses taught that are consistent with the requirements of Oakton's generic syllabi.
• Help students navigate and complete the online Oakton application form and registration process. Full instruction sets and high school course schedules can be found in the Partner Hub.
• Provide students enrolled in dual credit courses with the Oakton generic course syllabus in addition to the high school syllabus, course outline or other relevant documents.
• Respond to requests to complete roster verification and midterm/final grade entry by established deadlines for each term.
• Integrate and evaluate student learning outcomes within the framework of the Oakton Program for Assessment and Learning (OPAL) and report assessment data per college protocols.
• Inform and encourage students to use Oakton resources.

The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) believes that strong collaborations between high school teachers and college faculty enhance the instruction for both parties, increase the understanding of what types of teaching and learning are happening in each setting, and assist students in their transition from high school to college. As such, Oakton faculty liaisons and high school dual credit faculty are encouraged to work jointly by sharing methods, ideas, and experiences. Oakton faculty are encouraged to participate as guest lecturers in the high school classrooms and/or collaborate on team-teaching opportunities at both the college and high schools, and dual credit faculty and students are encouraged to visit an Oakton campus. Requests for campus visits can be made with the Office of Recruitment and Outreach or with the appropriate division. 

Guidelines

• Professional development and teacher participation must be documented each year.
• Dual credit faculty must participate in college-sponsored, annual professional development each year.
• Professional development can happen at any time but should be completed by the end of each academic year.
• The professional development can be offered in any format (webinar, online discussion forum, Zoom presentation, face-to-face session, etc.). It is recommended that online presentations be recorded for those teachers who cannot attend.
• The professional development can be offered to individuals or to groups of teachers as schedules and needs dictate.
• The professional development can cover any topic that is meaningful, interactive and addresses discipline content, delivery, assessment, or research.
• The professional development should be annual and collegial.
• Alternate professional development activities may be used as long as they are approved by the division.

Academic Records

Oakton uses a grading system in which students are assigned a letter grade of A, B, C, D or F reflecting the student’s performance in a course. The student’s high school grade for the course will be reported on the high school report card. The college grade will be recorded on the student’s official Oakton College transcript upon course completion. (Note: Failing grades and withdrawals from college courses can restrict eligibility for future college admissions, scholarships, and financial aid.) Dual credit faculty are expected to submit final grades electronically via myOakton one week after course completion at the high school. 

Classroom Visits

In accordance with the Illinois Dual Credit Quality Act (DCQA) and in alignment with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and National Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) accreditation standards, all dual credit courses offered in District high schools are subject to review by the college.

A dual credit course must comply, at a minimum, with the Oakton generic syllabus for that course. The high school may add additional contact hours to meet high school requirements for awarding Carnegie units or complying with school attendance policies. High school instructors will provide students with the Oakton generic course syllabus in addition to high school course outlines and related materials.

In order to review the delivery of dual credit courses to ensure consistency with courses offered on campus, Oakton has established the following guidelines and procedures:

• High school course syllabi must be submitted by the secondary instructor to the appropriate academic department for approval prior to the start of each term the course is offered (2nd Friday in August for fall and yearlong term courses; 2nd Friday in December for spring term courses).
• A desk review and site visit will be conducted by the academic department during the first offering of the course.
• Provided the course review is satisfactory, the academic department will conduct ongoing reviews at least once every five years. The College may elect to conduct additional reviews in case deficiencies are noted.
• A copy of the review will be delivered to the secondary instructor and appropriate secondary administrator and placed on file at Oakton.
• Should Oakton find a course to be non-compliant with the College’s expectations, formal notice, with a deadline for remediation if appropriate, shall be provided by the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs and College Transitions to the appropriate secondary administrator. If remediation is not appropriate, or if the remediation deadline is not met satisfactorily, the Assistant Vice President shall inform the secondary school of the termination of the partnership for the course as currently delivered.