Online College in the High School
Online College in the High School (OCHS) is an interactive course or program that delivers instruction to a student by computer. OCHS is provided for by an agreement between Tri-County and the providers of OCHS. Students may choose to enroll in a course which comes from online programs and providers approved by the Minnesota Department of Education. Students applying to OCHS must: 1) have an adequate g.p.a. 2) achieve college-level assessment scores.
New OCHS Students
Eligibility by Grade Level
Senior (12th grade): A student who will participate as a senior must meet minimum Next-Generation ACCUPLACER®, ACT®, SAT® or MCA scores and is recommended to have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
Junior (11th grade): A student who will participate as a junior must meet minimum Next-Generation ACCUPLACER®, ACT®, SAT® or MCA scores and is recommended to have at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA.
Sophomore (10th grade): A student who will participate as a sophomore must meet or exceed the 8th Grade MCA Reading assessment standard minimum score of 850. If the MCA test was not taken, the student could take the Next-Generation ACCUPLACER® Reading Comprehension if accepted by the post-secondary institution. A 3.3 cumulative GPA is recommended, and the student must complete the Intro to Online Learning workshop.
Note: In their first semester, eligible 10th-grade students will be allowed to enroll in one (1) Career and Technical Education (CTE) course provided they meet specific course requirements and pre-requisites. If a sophomore receives a grade of C or better in their course, the student will be allowed to take additional CTE courses in their second semester. Minnesota Transfer Curriculum General Education courses are limited to Junior and Senior students.
Minimum Next-Generation ACCUPLACER®, ACT®, SAT ® or MCA Scores
The student must complete a Next-Generation ACCUPLACER®, ACT®, SAT® or MCA and achieve scores that are at or above the minimum level for the course they wish to enroll.
Minimum Requirements for Minnesota Transfer Curriculum General Education (MnTC) Coursework (Juniors and Seniors only):
– Minimum Next-Generation ACCUPLACER® Reading score of 250
Note: Students enrolling into a course with a math pre-requisite must attain an Advanced Algebra and Functions (AFF) score of 250 or higher.
– Minimum ACT® Reading sub score of 21 (also requires an English sub score of 18 for placement into courses with an English pre-requisite)
Note: Students enrolling in a course with a math pre-requisite must attain a Math sub score of 22.
– Minimum SAT® Reading score of 480 ERW
Note: Students enrolling in a course with a math pre-requisite must attain a Math sub score of 530.
– Minimum 10th grade MCA Reading score of 1047 (also requires an ACT® or Reading Next-Generation ACCUPLACER® score for courses with an English pre-requisite)
Note: Students enrolling in a course with a math pre-requisite must attain the 11th grade MCA Math score of 1158.
Minimum Requirements for Career and Technical Education (CTE) Coursework:
– Junior and Senior: 10th grade MCA Reading score 1047
– Sophomore: 8th grade MCA Reading score 850
– Minimum Next-Generation ACCUPLACER® Reading score of 250 (Sophomores only if 8th grade MCA test was not taken)
Note: Students enrolling in a course with a math pre-requisite must attain an Advanced Algebra and Functions (AFF) score of 250 or higher.
High schools may contact the OCHS Support Center to discuss testing for students interested in OCHS. A student may retest once annually. Students who have taken the 8th grade MCA test are not eligible for Next-Generation ACCUPLACER® until they are in their sophomore year and planning to register for classes as a Junior or Senior.
Returning Students
Eligibility for Continued Enrollment
All registrations are contingent upon the student’s previous semester grades/GPA. Students will be registered when the high school roster is received and course prerequisites are met. College grades will be reviewed at the end of each term.
To continue enrollment, students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative college GPA and complete 67% of the college credits for which they register. Students falling below these satisfactory academic progress standards will be required to submit an academic appeal and success plan which is due seven (7) days before the semester start date.
Post-Secondary Enrollment Options
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is a program that allows 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students to earn both high school and college credit while still in high school, through enrollment in and successful completion of college nonsectarian courses at eligible participating postsecondary institutions. Most PSEO courses are offered on the campus of the postsecondary institution; some courses are offered online. Each participating college or university sets its own admissions requirements for enrollment into the PSEO courses. Eleventh and 12th-grade students may take PSEO courses on a full- or part-time basis; 10th graders are eligible to enroll in PSEO on a more limited basis (see note below). Students must meet the PSEO residency and eligibility requirements and abide by participation limits specified in Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09. If a school district determines a pupil is not on track to graduate, she/he may continue to participate in PSEO on a term by term basis.
By March 1 of each year, or three weeks prior to the date a student registers for courses for the following school year (whichever is earlier), schools must provide PSEO information to all students in grades 8-11 and their families. To assist the district in planning, a student must inform the district by May 30 of each year of their intent to enroll in postsecondary courses during the following school year.
There is no charge to PSEO students for tuition, books or fees for items that are required to participate in a course; however, students may incur fees for equipment that becomes their property when the course or program is completed, textbooks that are not returned to the postsecondary institution according to their policies, or for tuition costs if they do not notify the district by May 30 and the district does not waive this date requirement.
Funds are available to help pay transportation expenses for qualifying students to participate in PSEO courses on college campuses. For more information on these funds, access the PSEO Mileage Reimbursement Program Instructions.
Enrolling in a PSEO course does not prohibit a student from participating in activities sponsored by the high school.
School districts must allow a PSEO student reasonable access to the high school building, computers and/or other technology resources during regular school hours to participate in PSEO courses, whether on-line or on campus.
Each year, districts must publish their grade-weighting policy on their website, including a list of courses for which students can earn weighted grades.
All courses taken through the PSEO program must meet graduation requirements. Districts must transcript credits earned in PSEO by a ratio prescribed in statute. Districts have the authority to decide which subject area and standards the PSEO course meets. If there is a dispute between the district and the student regarding the number of credits granted for a particular course, the student may appeal the board’s decision to the commissioner. The commissioner’s decision regarding the number of credits will be final.
Postsecondary institutions are required to allow PSEO students to enroll in online courses consistent with the institution’s policy regarding postsecondary student enrollment in online courses.
Tenth-grade students may initially enroll in one Career and Technical Education (CTE) PSEO course if they receive a reading proficiency score of “meets” or “exceeds” on the 8th grade MCA. If 10th graders taking a CTE PSEO course earn at least a grade C in that class, they may take additional postsecondary courses. If the student did not take the MCA in 8th-grade, another reading assessment accepted by the enrolling postsecondary institution can be substituted. For students with disabilities, there is an alternative option to demonstrate reading proficiency.
For current information about the PSEO program, visit the Minnesota Department of Education’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) webpage.