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Concurrent Enrollment / Course Pre-approval Form

Concurrent Enrollment / Course Pre-approval Form

Outside Course Request Form 

The San Mateo Union High School District will not transfer credit from an accredited institution to the high school transcript under the following conditions:

  • The course has not received pre-approval and/or does not fall within one of the conditions below.
  • The course is taken for enrichment, but is not needed for graduation or college entrance.
  • The course exceeds the 40 credit limit (BP-AR-E-6141.11).
    [3 C.C. units = 5 H.S. credits / 5 C.C. units = 10 H.S. credits]
  • The course is not from an Accredited institution and/or is not A-G approved. 

Criteria for Appropriate Credit Approval (ACA):

  • Make up a course. (If you received a D or F in a course)
  • Part of an approved early graduation plan. (must have had a conversation with your counselor first)
  • Language not offered at high school.
  • Compelling academic need for a course as detailed in a 4-year plan. (i.e. you need to take Geometry over the summer so you can take AP Calculus by your senior year)

Students and families are responsible for the following:

  • Ensuring outside programs are offered through WASC Accredited institutions and are UC A-G approved. 
  • Covering the cost of tuition, materials, proctoring exams and/or other related expenses/requirements.
  • Ensuring the outside program will be able to implement the student’s 504 Plan or IEP, if applicable. Students are responsible for sharing their 504 Plan or IEP with the institution prior to enrollment. The District cannot guarantee that programs will be able to provide students’  accommodations or supports for courses taken outside of the District. 
  • Submitting an official transcript to the school site’s SDA upon completion of the course. Failure to do so may put your graduation status at risk. 12th grade students in their spring semester must submit evidence of course completion by two days before graduation day in order to be included in the ceremony.

SMUHSD is not responsible for monitoring student progress, providing academic support, and/or remediating/supplementing skills/content offered by these outside courses.

Outside Course Pre-Approval Form - Once this form is submitted you will receive a copy.  The form will need to be approved by your counselor, and administrator. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are students allowed to take graduation requirements off campus next year?

  • No.  With few exceptions, students must take all graduation required courses at SMHS.  

How do I sign up for Community College Courses?

Will community college coursework still receive a GPA point bump?

  • For students applying to UC or CSU universities directly after high school, UC/CSU will apply a GPA bump for one semester.  Please note that UCs and CSU apply a maximum of 8 semesters of a GPA bump to their GPA calculations.  
  • For Private or out of state universities, see their admissions programs to learn whether or how Community College courses are applied to GPAs
  • Most colleges and universities will evaluate CSM coursework as increasing rigor and enrichment in a holistic evaluation
  • For more information about how GPA is determined, see this helpful presentation

How do I choose an online course that is NOT a CSM Course:

You may review this list of known A-G approved out of district courses here.  Once you choose the course you want, follow the above course pre approval process.  For math courses, make sure to check the Math Information Page