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Eligibility
Q-1.
May a school district condition a student’s eligibility for enrollment
of a student in the Running Start Program upon a determination by school
district personnel that the student is academically qualified to take
college or university course work?
A. No. The determination
of whether or not a student is competent to profit from college or university
course work is within the jurisdiction and authority of the college
or university to make.
Q-2.
May a school district condition a student's eligibility for enrollment
in the Running Start Program upon the maintenance of a particular grade
point average?
A. No. The eligibility
requirements for participation in the Running Start Program are set
forth in statute and rule to the exclusion of any GPA requirement. Nothing
in statute or rule implies any authority for school districts to impose
additional requirements or conditions upon a student who meets the minimum
requirements imposed by law.
Q-3.
May a second year senior enroll in the Running Start Program? (WAC 392-169-055)
A. A second
year senior is generally understood as being a student who has failed
to meet highschool graduation requirements as of the end of the student’s
12th grade academic year. A second year senior may enroll in the Running
Start Program, but may enroll only for those specific courses needed
to graduate from high school.
Q-4.
May a high school deny Running Start participation to students under
the age of 21?
A. No, not if
the student meets eligibility requirements.
Q-5.
How is junior/senior standing determined?
A. It is the
responsibility of the common school district to establish junior/senior
standing. Any criteria used to establish grade placement must be applied
uniformly to all students.
Q-6.
Are Running Start students subject to the compulsory attendance laws?
A. Yes, Running
Start students are subject to the compulsory attendance law, as set
out in RCW 28A.225.010.
Q-7.
May a student expelled from high school for a serious offense enroll
in Running Start?
A. Yes, if an
institution of higher education is willing to enroll the student. The
high school and the higher education institution handle violations of
their respective student conduct rules separately. That is to say, a
student could be expelled by a high school for a violation of school
district rules and continue to participate in college classes. The reverse
is also true.
Q-8.
If a currently enrolled Running Start student moves out of the high
school district, can the student continue Running Start through the
original district?
A. Yes. A Running
Start student who changes his or her school district of residence, following
enrollment in Running Start, solely for the purpose of attending an
institution of higher education , shall be deemed to have retained his
or her residence in the school district of initial Running Start enrollment
for high school graduation, funding, and other purposes under the Running
Start Program.
Q-9. May
a district require that a student attend the high school for the purpose
of completing a culminating requirements project?
A. Yes, if the
project is required for high school graduation and the requirement cannot
be met otherwise. See the answer to Q-27 below.
Q-10.
Do Running Start students need to meet the new graduation requirements
including the cumulating project and high school plus education plan?
A. Yes, otherwise
the student does not qualify for a high school diploma. Running Start
does not exempt students from meeting graduation requirements.
Q-11.
May a Running Start student be enrolled full-time at the college or
university and also enroll in classes at the high school?
A. Yes. A student
may be counted up to two FTEs between the high school and the college
or university with a maximum of one FTE at each institution. This change
was to accommodate the student who was jointly enrolled for a total
of 1.2 or 1.3 FTEs, for example. This requires very close counseling
and agreement by representatives of both institutions. The student is
reported on the high school's enrollment report, as well as the enrollment
report at the college or university.
Q-12.
May Running Start students be excused from the statewide testing required
by OSPI because the testing conflicts with college classes?
A. Generally
speaking, no. Arrangements should be made at the college to accommodate
the student who is taking the high school test required by the state.
Q-13.
If a Running Start student withdraws from the college, can the high
school prohibit the student from returning to the high school?
A. No. It is
the duty of the high school to provide an education for students residing
in the district.
Q-14.
How do potential Running Start students learn about the program?
A. The school
district is required to inform all 10th and 11th graders and their parents/
guardians about the program.
Q-15.
Who determines which college or technical school the students will attend?
A. The student
and their parents. Normally the student will attend the institution
closest to their high school district.
Q-16.
Is a school district required to provide transportation to a student
with disabilities who wants to take classes through Running Start?
A. A school
district would be responsible for necessary transportation of a Running
Start student to and from college if the student’s Individualized
Education Plan (IEP) provides for Running Start enrollment in an institution
of higher education.
Q-17. Can a school district deny a student
from applying for Running Start enrollment if the student does not want
a diploma from the district or the high school?
A. No. If the
student meets all eligibility requirements, the school district cannot
keep a student from participating. However, a student who is not attempting
to make progress toward graduation requirements would not be eligible
beyond the regular 12th grade school year (second year senior eligibility).
See Q-3, above.
Q-18. Is there any legal authority that
allows a community college to limit the proportion of Running Start
students in any individual class?
A. A policy
placing a blanket restriction on Running Start enrollment to a fixed
percentage of any class is unlikely to fit within authorized community
or technical college enrollment restrictions. The burden would be on
the college to establish a sufficient rationale for any policy adopted
to limit Running Start enrollment. Any such policy: 1) must be generally
applicable; and 2) must be related to: physical facility limitations,
or operating funds limitations, or academically efficient class size,
or
a student’s ability to benefit from a particular class, course
or program.
Q-19.
Can a school district impose a registration deadline for Running Start?
A. No. However,
the college can impose a registration deadline. It is recommended that
the high schools and colleges work together to define a mutually agreeable
deadline for registration.
Q-20. Can high
schools limit registration times so that students have restricted periods
during which they can declare their intent to do Running Start (to accommodate
the district's review of the proposed course for high school credit)
OR since campuses have rolling admissions (and open admission for some
courses) are districts required to accommodate the campus schedule?
A. No, high
schools may not limit registration times. However, the college can impose
a registration deadline. It is recommended that the high schools and
colleges work together to define a mutually agreeable deadline for registration.
High schools may establish a schedule for reviewing course equivalencies.
Schedules must include enough flexibility to not impeded students’
Running Start participation.
Q -21. Can colleges
ask for students’ immigration and/or residency status on RS application
forms?
A. No. Residency
and immigration status are not a factor for Running Start students.
Students’ residency is established by their eligibility to enroll
in their home high school. Colleges have been asked to remove this question
from their Running Start application forms.
Q- 22. Can schools that have accepted non-resident
students under the “choice” legislation send a student back
to their home high school if they want to participate in RS?
A. School districts
must have a policy establishing rational, fair, and equitable standards
for acceptance and rejection of applications for nonresident attendance.
If a student meets the districts criteria for acceptance, we are unable
to see how participation in the Running Start program thereafter renders
the student no longer acceptable. If a district were to attempt to revoke
an acceptance of a nonresident student mid-year, the student would have
an appeal right to OSPI under RCW 28A.225.230 and WAC 392 137-230. Running
Start participation is not among the
rejection criteria for non-resident students specified in RCW 28A.225.225(3).
Q- 23. How long
is a student with an IEP eligible for RS?
A. Running Start
is intended to provide the equivalent of two academic years of eligibility
for dual credit. An IEP, however, may indicate a student’s need
to extend the length of time required to complete his or her secondary
education. It is also possible that the academic and calendar year may
not coincide under the IEP. Eligibility for Running Start may continue,
if appropriate to the IEP, while the student continues work toward the
diploma so long as the courses being taken continue to earn credit in
both the secondary and postsecondary system and the student is otherwise
eligible.
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