Dual credit – Planning and programming

Start-up funding for school authorities
Apply for course codes
Planning and programming
Enhancement funding for school authorities

How it works

For students

Dual credit programming lets students personalize their high school experience and discover or build on career passions and interests. Learning opportunities span many industries and professions such as health care, trades, agriculture and business administration.

Students in Grade 10, 11 or 12 can earn credits toward:

a high school diploma or certificate of achievement
a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree
first-period apprenticeship or journeyperson certificate

Dual credit program offerings vary from school to school. Student advisors, counsellors or school administrators can help students access dual credit courses or pathways and develop a career plan using resources on:

alis Alberta – career planning, post-secondary education and training, educational funding, job searches and more
Transfer Alberta – getting admitted, transferring and planning post-secondary pathways
Tradesecrets – working in one of Alberta’s many trades

For school authorities

School authorities have the flexibility to provide learning opportunities that reflect the needs and interests of their students, schools and communities. They can either access provincial dual credit programming or design their own local programming with authorization from Alberta Education.

School authorities may apply for one start-up grant and one dual credit enhancement grant to fund dual credit programming.

Find out about dual credit start-up funding and dual credit enhancement funding for schools.

Planning

When determining what dual credit to offer, a school authority considers how best to meet students’ needs and support them in transitioning to post-secondary education or the workplace. A post-secondary institution, business or industry may also suggest a learning opportunity to a school authority based on local or provincial labour market demands.

Before offering new dual credit programming, school authorities need to determine if it can be delivered independently or if a partnership is needed.

Partnerships

School authorities may offer dual credit programming in partnership with one or more of the following:

other school authorities
publicly funded post-secondary institutions or First Nations colleges (required for dual enrolled courses)
professional regulatory organizations
large companies
small businesses
chambers of commerce
boards or councils

Partnership agreements

When school authorities work with post-secondary institutions, a formal dual credit partnership agreement or a memorandum of understanding must be established to:

ensure the dual credit opportunity aligns with the Alberta Dual Credit Framework and the Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework
support each partner and the students who take dual credit courses
identify each partner’s roles and responsibilities

When school authorities work with any other partners, they may choose to establish a formal dual credit partnership agreement or a memorandum of understanding.

Partners’ roles and responsibilities

The partners have the flexibility to customize roles and responsibilities within their dual credit partnership agreements. They are responsible for working together on their agreements and considering:

planning and recruitment
coordination or coordinator
curriculum development and mapping
off-campus provisions
supervision
duty of care and liability insurance
student attendance and participation
student accommodations
communication with parents
instruction
assessment and evaluation
grades and reporting

For more information, review the Tip Sheet: Suggested Roles and Responsibilities of Dual Credit Partners.

When planning for new dual credit programming, school authorities and partners should review the Tip Sheet: Suggested Processes and Considerations for Initiating a Dual Credit Opportunity.

Programming

Dual credit programming consists of courses and pathways authorized by Alberta Education.

Pathways

A dual credit pathway is a course or a selection of courses in the Career and Technology Studies (CTS) program. Students explore career opportunities and develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values they will need on the job.

There are 2 types of pathways that enable students to work toward post-secondary goals or enter the workforce from high school:

Provincial dual credit pathways are developed by Alberta Education to align with post-secondary curriculum and/or industry standards.
Local dual credit pathways are designed by school authorities and an eligible post-secondary partner to meet local labour market needs. The school authority must apply for dual credit course codes once the pathway is designed.

School authorities determine the best learning environments to deliver the pathways such as:

face-to-face
distributed
blended
e-learning

Courses

There are 2 types of courses:

Single enrolled courses:
- do not require school authorities to have a post-secondary partner
- may involve partners from business and industry
- are taught in a high school by an Alberta certificated teacher with journeyperson credentials or by a journeyperson who is supervised by an Alberta certificated teacher
- are assessed by the teacher, with course completions and marks reported by the school authority
- enable students to receive high school credits
Dual enrolled courses:
- require a partnership between a school authority and post-secondary institution
- could involve partners from business and industry
- may be taught in a high school or post-secondary institution
- are taught and assessed by a post-secondary instructor in collaboration with an Alberta certificated teacher (for example, a health care aide course offered in partnership with a post-secondary institution and taught by a licensed practical nurse with support from a certificated teacher)
- require course completions and marks to be reported by the school authority and the post-secondary institution
- enable students to receive credits on both their high school and post-secondary transcripts

Pathways

There are 2 types of pathways that enable students to work toward post-secondary goals or enter the workforce from high school:

Provincial dual credit pathways are developed by Alberta Education to align with post-secondary curriculum and/or industry standards (for example, CTS Apprenticeship Pathways).
Local dual credit pathways are designed by school authorities and an eligible post-secondary partner to meet local labour market needs. The school authority must apply for dual credit course codes once the pathway is designed. Alberta Education provides approval for the pathway by authorizing course codes.

School authorities determine the best learning environments and formats to deliver the pathways. These may include:

face-to-face
distributed
blended
e-learning

Course codes

Provincial dual credit pathways have existing course codes for school authorities to use. When school authorities design a new local pathway, they need to apply for new course codes.

Find out how to apply for dual credit course codes.