ACC-AISD Connection

Seniors in high school are encouraged to get involved with the ACC-AISD Connection. Getting involved in the ACC-AISD Connection is an opportunity for a senior to go through the college acceptance process with Austin Community College while enrolled as an AISD student. This four-step program involves the college application process, orientation and optional tour of the campuses, placement testing, and academic and financial aid counseling by a college counselor.

Once a senior completes this ACC-AISD Connection, he/she is accepted into ACC and does not have to reapply, even if he/she does not attend the next semester.

There are many advantages in a senior taking part of this program.

• Students who attend a four-year institution can return to Austin and take summer courses at ACC to get a jumpstart on credits at their respective university.
• If a student is enrolled in the Early College Start Program and takes dual credit courses at ACC, he/she may be allowed to skip certain parts of the process and still be a part of the ACC-AISD Connection. (Students should check with their guidance counselors when the ACC-AISD Connection process begins.)
• Students who complete the ACC-AISD Connection upon graduation from high school will be accepted into ACC and receive their AISD diploma on the same graduation day.
• Due to less expensive tuition, fees and other college costs, students will find that enrolling in and completing courses at ACC will save money in transferring those courses to a four-year university.
• ACC-AISD Connection begins in the fall semester at every high school campus. Parents have the option to waive their students from this program.

ACC core curriculum classes transfer completely to Texas public institutions, but certain courses may not transfer from one college to another. A student should check with the admissions office at his/her college to inquire about what courses will or will not transfer from ACC.

Career and Technical Education

Some courses taken for college credit are Career and Technical Education courses, in program areas of engineering, Technical, computer programming, nursing, culinary, drafting, welding, automotive, and more and may apply toward technical degrees at two-year colleges. Some of these courses may also apply toward four-degrees.

These are either statewide-articulated courses in the Advance Technical Credit (ATC) Program, locally articulated courses, or dual credit courses.

Which Way is Best for You?

Career and Technical College Articulated Courses
Certain content-enhanced career and technical high school courses have been found to be substantially equal to certain introductory-level college courses. A student completing these courses must achieve a grade of "B" or above to receive articulated credit. Completion of the high school course or courses required to equal a college course with a "B" or above also counts as a Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) measure. All courses eligible for college credit are identified on the high school transcript with the special explanation course code "A". This code helps participating colleges identify courses taught for award of articulated college credit. Completion of these college-level courses provides a way to start a college technical major in high school and continue in a community or technical college. The result is a certificate or associate degree in a career field.

Tech Prep and Credit-in-Escrow
Tech Prep and Credit-in-Escrow allow students to earn high school credit for upper division Career and Technical courses and at the same time qualify for college credit at Austin Community College through a program called Tech Prep or Credit-in-Escrow. High school students have the option of choosing a career-oriented program that offers them the chance to take technical courses for college credit. The goal of the Tech Prep program is to prepare students with advanced training and life-long skills required for employment and higher education. Tech Prep integrates applied academics, career education and work-based learning. Students must be enrolled in a Tech Prep program and register in the Career and Technical Education Management Application (CATEMA) system or complete an identification form for school records to earn Credit-in-Escrow. Students are to follow the suggested sequence of courses for the particular Tech Prep program; earn a grade of 80 or above in the identified course; and complete a transcript request identifying Tech Prep eligibility with their designated campus counselor or registrar.

See AISD Articulation list for more information.

Dual Credit
Dual Credit is a program for students who are simultaneously enrolled in AISD and Austin Community College. The student will attend pre-approved college level courses either at their high school of an ACC campus. The student will earn both college credit and high school credit. Not all courses in the ACC website are pre-approved by AISD for dual credit. Check with your counselor for more information.

Note: College tuition and fees are waived for students who reside within the ACC taxing district, and attend Austin ISD schools. Students are allowed to take two college courses per semester. Students are required to purchased textbooks.

Advance Technical Credit
The Advance Technical Credit can help you earn college hours while you are still in high school. Articulated courses are honored at many two-year colleges across the state. Check with your counselor to see what ATC courses are offered at your high school.

Check the website for participating colleges. http://www.atctexas.org/

Check With:

• Your high school counselor
• ACC College Tech Prep office
• ACC Early College Start office
• Davelyn Forrest - dforrest@austincc.edu
• Texas Tech Prep.