Purpose

  • Providing equitable access to Early College Credits increases college readiness, giving students a head start on finding strong first jobs and on completing a career-aligned secondary degree. Dual enrollment, dual credit, and concurrent enrollment helps increase high school graduation, college enrollment, and college completion
  • Providing Credentials of Value allows students to demonstrate real-world skills to future employers, giving students a head start on finding a strong first job

Definition

  • Early College Credits: Credits which may count towards completion of a college degree and enable students to get a head start on college completion
    • Conditional on NYCPS pathway approval, applicable courses could be dual credit/enrollment (including College Now), Advanced Placement (AP), or International Baccalaureate (IB)
  • Credentials of Value: Industry-validated certifications that high school students can attain to demonstrate mastery within their occupational title where applicable
    • Most FRNYC course sequences include Credentials of Value that are aligned to the pathway, are stackable, and open doors to postsecondary opportunities and strong first jobs. In some cases, they will enable students to receive Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) from CUNY or other institutions of higher learning
    • Some pathways contain "Stepping Stone" credentials (e.g., basic cardiac life support) that are designed to provide students with an understanding of basic content and build confidence in attaining higher level credentials of value

Minimum experiences FRNYC schools must provide to FRNYC students

Each FRNYC high school will equitably offer early college coursework that is integrated within career pathways; schools will be supported in partnership with higher education institutions. These courses are categorized as FRNYC-ECC and are defined as early college courses that build on standards-aligned high school coursework, are engaging and spark student interest in continued training in a specific pathway, and are transferable / aligned to CUNY degree pathways in appropriate occupational titles.

In most cases, the partner will be a CUNY campus that would provide students with a sequence of occupationally-aligned early college credits that will prepare them for a career in their FRNYC pathway.

For schools partnered with CUNY campuses, College Now (CN) is a funded college transition / dual enrollment program for New York City public high school students delivered in partnership between CUNY and New York City Public Schools.

CN course requirements for FRNYC pathways include the following:

  • CUNY Explorers campus visit for 9th graders (non-credit bearing)
  • First Year Seminar (FYS), which may be offered as a one-college-credit course for 10th graders
  • Two College Now Pathway Courses i that are FRNYC-aligned (defined as FRNYC-early college courses (FRNYC-ECC) that build on standards-aligned high school coursework, are engaging and spark student interest in continued training in a specific pathway, and are transferable / aligned to CUNY degree pathways in appropriate occupational titles)
    • Schools are encouraged to use the course standards to work with their CUNY partners to convert CCI courses, within the standard NYCPS FRNYC sequences, to dual credit courses. This will reduce the credit load for students and accelerate progress through the pathway

Through their four-course CCI sequences, FRNYC students will be prepared to earn a credential of value that meets demand and wage thresholds to prepare students for high-value career opportunities. View the list of FRNYC-approved credentials of value aligned to occupational titles.

    • Grade i

    • Early College Credits

    • Credentials of Value

    • Grade 10
    • One first-year seminar course or equivalent
    • One-hour optional workshop to prepare students to attain industry credentials, including:

      • Instructions on applicability of credentials
      • Introduction to example credentials
    • Grade 11
    • At least 1 FRNYC-ECC, dual enrollment, credit-bearing CN course

      • Note: AP / IB courses may also fulfill this requirement, but all FRNYC schools must offer dual-enrollment courses through an FRNYC approved higher education partner
    • Students may earn a stepping stone credential (e.g., basic cardiac life support) designed to provide students with an understanding of basic content and build confidence towards attaining a higher level credential of value
    • Grade 12
    • At least 1 FRNYC-ECC, dual enrollment, credit-bearing CN course

      • Note: AP / IB courses may also fulfill this requirement, but all FRNYC schools must offer dual-enrollment courses through CN
    • Students are expected to complete the four-course sequence and earn the corresponding credential from the NYCPS approved credential of value that meets demand and wage thresholds to prepare students for high-value career opportunities

Checklist of actions schools need to take

View full FRNYC Planning Checklist.

*Note: For the Spring 2024 semester we ask all FRNYC student enrollments be completed by December 1st, 2023. Please connect with your CUNY champion to coordinate pre-requisite requirements and students registered on CUNYFirst.

Important action items towards Spring Dec 1 recruitment deadline:

  • Begin spring recruitment of students along with your CUNY Campus Champion (Column L, second tab).
  • While each CUNY campus has a slightly different process, begin by establishing regular contact between your school’s CUNY coordinator (Column O) and CUNY Campus Champion: (Column L, second tab)
  • Ask your CUNY Campus Champion about eligibility requirements for courses and submit relevant documents (e.g., transcripts) to determine eligibility
  • Your CUNY Campus Champion and their team will be in touch with eligible students and your school’s CUNY coordinator about next steps
  • As CUNY enrolls students, your school’s CUNY Coordinator is responsible for tracking students as they are enrolled to monitor progress towards enrollment goals in your implementation plan (see second purple tab).
  • Simply “x” next to each students name as they enroll in a Spring CN course; we will track progress towards overall enrollment targets in this way
  • If you foresee issues meeting this target, please reach out to your FRNYC Director to create an escalation plan.

    • Detailed implementation guidance

    To establish FRNYC aligned College Now (CN) programming for students, schools must complete the following milestones:

      • Key Milestones

      • Action Items and Guidance

      • Principal assigns a school-based FRNYC CUNY Coordinator
        • FRNYC CUNY Coordinator will:

          • Facilitate recruitment and support the application process for CN courses
          • Meet regularly with CN staff to check-in on students’ progress
        • At least one round of communication with CUNY partner before the last day of school is recommended
        • See CUNY matches and Campus contacts and follow action steps outlined above
        • School and CUNY partner will submit FRNYC-ECC recommendations for final approval to the FRNYC team by September 2023
      • FRNYC CUNY Coordinator meets with a campus-based CUNY Champion to learn about CN course offerings, policies and modalities
        • These meetings are required to enable your school to learn about CN course offerings, policies, and how the CN program can align with your school and its vision for FRNYC
        • Course modality types for CN courses include:

          • Location: In-person, on campus, virtual or hybrid
          • Timing: During school day, before or after school, or weekend
          • Teaching staff:

            • NYCPS Teacher can serve as CUNY Adjunct (must adhere to CUNY hiring processes and requirements) – guidance on becoming a CUNY adjunct is detailed at the bottom of this section
            • CUNY Adjunct can teach on School Campus (fingerprinting required)
      • Determine which semester(s) programming will be offered
        • Partner with CN Liaisons to determine which semester(s) programming will be offered to your students. Reach out to the FRNYC team for support with FRNYC-ECC options and programming questions
      • Equitably identify students to register for CN courses i
        • Consider reaching out to current students before the end of SY22-23, especially for upper grades
        • Consider academic acceleration starting in 9th grade to ensure equity in CN participation so that all students can meet prerequisites for the courses being offered. Please reach out to the FRNYC team for support with academic acceleration
        • Consider translated communications to families to highlight College Now opportunities and benefits for their child
        • Support students with creating their CUNYFirst Account which is a gateway to all CUNY enrollment
      • Finalize fall CUNY enrollment (deadline in summer–please confirm exact date with your campus partner)
        • In general, registration for fall offerings is due by July and spring offerings by December
      • Schedule a CUNY Explorers campus visit
        • Schedule two post-secondary trips, including CUNY Explorers campus visit with the 9th grade Foundations teacher
      • Establish a regular meeting schedule (e.g., monthly) with CUNY partner
        • It is important for schools to manage student enrollment, attendance, and CN course completion. Withdrawing without notification and/or failing a CN course will negatively impact student transcripts.
        • Schools should schedule additional touchpoints as needed to check in on student progress and review disaggregated data and address disproportionality.
      • Record CN course offerings and enrollment in STARS
        • Follow this guidance to record CN offerings and enrollment using the STARS Admin Pathways program manager

    Schools partnering with other institutions should connect directly with the FutureReadyNYC team for more information on how to adapt these requirements.

    To prepare students to earn industry credentials, schools must:

    • [For full implementation schools only] Determine which NYCPS-approved credential of value you will offer during SY23-24
      • Credentials of value will be embedded within CCI courses
      • Guidance on preparing students to earn credentials of value will be provided during the FRNYC Summer Institute
      • Schools will be expected to fund credentials of value with FRNYC launch funding. Central will support by building school-vendor relationships and may provide partial subsidies, contingent upon funding availability
    • Schedule a one-hour optional workshop to prepare students to attain industry credentials, including:
      • Instruction on the value and applicability of industry recognized credentials
      • Introduction to example credentials and the path towards attaining them
    Qualifications for College Now Adjuncts

    Schools are encouraged to work with their college partners to design dual credit offerings aligned to the NYCPS standard FRNYC course sequences. This enables students to accelerate through the pathway, ease the credit load, and simultaneously satisfy college and high school requirements. One strategy for this is to have NYCPS teachers serve as college adjuncts. Each CN course is overseen and managed by the academic department Dean or Chairperson of each CUNY campus that offers the course. The minimum qualification to be a CN Adjunct is a baccalaureate and graduate degree (master's degree preferred) in the field of the course. Additional qualifications may be required on a case-by-case basis. A minimum of three years' teaching experience is often preferred. To apply for a position, applicants must contact the designated college representative in the manner indicated on the job posting before the closing date. The closing date is the date by which all completed applications must be received.

    Persons employed as adjuncts shall be assigned to teach part-time or perform related duties on a part-time basis. The appropriate Dean or Chairperson assigns teaching and work schedules. Adjunct appointments are made on a session-by-session basis, subject to satisfactory evaluation, the needs of the department, sufficiency of registration, changes in curriculum, and financial ability.

    Adjunct & non-teaching adjuncts are paid in accordance with the terms of CUNY/PSC collective bargaining agreement. Salary schedule is available at the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY AFT Local #2334 (PSC-CUNY) website.

    Additional recommended resources

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    Our broader goal is to codify and significantly expand access to dual credit opportunities for FRNYC pathways. This work will be prioritized with our higher education partners in SY 23-24

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    This table is a suggested breakdown of opportunities to earn early college credits / credentials of value by grade level; these opportunities may be taken throughout the FRNYC experience.

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    Enrollment for FRNYC-ECC should be representative of the school’s enrollment profile including student identities and backgrounds (e.g., race/ethnicity, income/class, sex, geography, academic performance, ability, ELL, first-generation status, refugee status, foster care status, and undocumented status). This starts with early engagement with students and families, academic intervention and wrap around support before and during FRNYC-ECC programming to ensure all students are engaged, persisting and earning early college credits.