MCHS AP and Dual Credit Course Information

  • Advanced Placement Courses (AP courses) - AP courses give students the chance to tackle college-level work while they're still in high school. And through taking AP Exams, students can earn college credit and placement.  Please check your intended college or university's webpage to see what scores will earn you credit for which of their classes.  For MCHS course specific information, please click on AP courses tab on the left.  

     

    Dual Credit Courses - With dual credit courses, students have the opportunity to earn high school credit and college credit through Holmes Community College while enrolled in high school.  In MS, credits and grades from our public community colleges will transfer to any MS public college/university.  For MCHS course specific information, please click on the dual credit courses tabs on the left.  

     

    Dual Credit Information for the 2024-25 School Year

     

    Madison County School District partners with Holmes Community College to offer courses that earn credit at the high school and college levels. These courses are taught by Madison Central teachers on our campus. Because these are college credit courses, there is a cost for each course; however, cost is discounted by about 1/3 of the cost as a freshman college student.

     

    Courses Offered and Requirements to Enroll

    Madison Central courses offered:

    • Art Appreciation – Juniors and Seniors; 3.0 GPA and a composite score of 18 on the ACT
    • English Composition I(1st semester) and English Composition II(2nd semester) – Seniors only; 3.0 GPA and a composite score of 18 and a 17 English subscore on the ACT – These courses replace the 4th English required to graduate high school.
    • College Algebra – Seniors only; 3.0 GPA and a composite score of 18 and a 19 Math subscore on the ACT

     

    AP Credit for English Composition I Procedures

    • Complete the dual credit enrollment in the spring, get the permission letter signed as well as the Letter of Recommendation.
    • Once AP scores are released in the summer and you decide to drop Comp I and use your AP score, you MUST log in to your College Board portal and have your AP scores sent to Holmes immediately (must be official scores for College Board)
    • Send your counselor a copy of the order for your scores and she will drop you from the dual credit class. You are still required to take English Comp II in the spring or else you will not earn your English credit for senior year.

     

    Important Dates

    • The April ACT is the last one considered to meet the ACT requirement to enroll in dual credit classes for both juniors and sophomores.
    • Current juniors will take the ACT on February 27th at Madison Central and can take the administration in April at a national test site if they choose. There is no registration required for the February test, but if the April test is needed, you will register for it in your ACT account.
    • Current sophomores interested in Art Appreciation as a junior, who have not scored an 18 composite on the ACT, must register for the April test at a national test site on the following website, https://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/the-act.html. Pre-ACT scores are not accepted. Any student who does not reach the required score of 18 in April will bump to the following year to be considered for any of the dual credit courses.

     

    Dual Credit Grades

    Dual credit classes/grades are not in active parent, active student, or MCHS’s canvas.  Grades are entered manually into our system at the end of the semester; therefore, will not be visible to parents until that time. The dual credit instructors are bound by FERPA and cannot discuss your student’s grades with you unless your student gives them permission.

     

    Transfer Credits

    Dual credit hours earned from Holmes Community College are accepted at all Mississippi public universities and colleges; however, if your plan is to attend a private college or an out-of-state college, it is your responsibility to verify that the dual credit course will be accepted. It is also your responsibility to check your college major to determine if the dual credit course is part of the curriculum. After graduation, you will need to request your transcript from Holmes Community College to be sent to the college you will attend.

     

    Tuition and Fees

    The current tuition for each dual credit class is $180 (subject to change based on legislative decisions). Each class will also require books to be purchased. The student’s tuition is paid to Holmes Community College via the student’s myholmes portal or by calling the Holmes Community College business office at 601-605-3307. The tuition for each semester is due 2 weeks after the first day of class. The due date will be posted in each dual credit classroom as a reminder. PLEASE NOTE:  Should a student decide to drop the class during the drop window, the tuition for the class is still required.

     

    Dual Credit Course Weight

    Dual credit courses carry a weight of 1.05 at the high school level. The weighted grade is calculated into the student’s high school grade point average.  PLEASE NOTE: The grade received at the college level does not carry any weight.

     

    Example:  A student finishes Art Appreciation with a semester grade of 92 in active parent. This is an A on their high school transcript and is used in the GPA calculation. The student’s grade on their college transcript is 87.6 which is a B because it does not carry weight.

     

    Next Steps

    • At pre-registration with your counselor, let her know your intent to take a dual credit course.
    • Register for ACT if you are a sophomore without an ACT score. Juniors need to determine if they have met ACT requirements and if not, prepare for the February 27th test accordingly.
    • Meet with Mrs. Murphy, a representative from Holmes Community College, when she is scheduled to come to Madison Central in the spring (you will be notified of your scheduled time) for assistance in completing your Holmes application. MAKE SURE YOU RECORD YOUR USERNAME, PASSWORD, AND YOUR HOLMES ID at this meeting.
    • Watch the orientation video during your scheduled meeting with Mrs. Murphy.
    • You will receive a letter of recommendation from Mrs. Murphy that requires a parent and student signature to take the class.
    • A parent permission letter will be distributed when your student meets with their counselor that requires a parent signature as well to take any dual credit class.

     

    Final Deadline

    All documents must be returned to Madison Central Student Services by June 1, 2024. Holmes must have the dual credit rosters in early June; therefore, there are no exceptions to the June 1st deadline except in the case of a student waiting on an AP Language score.