College in
the Schools (CIS)
College Now (Southwest Minnesota State University)
Sleepy Eye High School offers college-level courses through the College
Now Program at
SMSU. The program allows us to offer college credits at SEHS with our
faculty acting as
assistants to the professors from SMSU. Students that successfully
complete a College Now
course with a C- or better can be assured course acceptance at any of the
MNSCU system
public colleges & universities. See the website for a list of the
colleges
https://www.minnstate.edu/
SMSU credits have also been successfully accepted at private institutions in Minnesota and the U of M system. The weight grading system for these courses is set at 5.0 (instead of 4.0) at SEHS.
The curricula for these classes are the same as those taught on a college campus; therefore, it is important that students understand that a College Now course is significantly more difficult than a high school course
Any student wanting to register for a College Now course must meet the following requirements:
- Sophomores: Must rank in the top 10% of their class and score at or above the 90th percentile on a nationally normed test to qualify.
- Juniors: Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and rank in the top 1/3 of your graduating class.
- Seniors: Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and rank in the top 1/2 of your graduating class.
Students will have the school counselor sign off to ensure they meet these requirements. Students who do not meet the requirements can choose to appeal and should see Mrs. Paulson for more information.
Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)
Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is a program that allows 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students to earn both high school and college credit while still in high school, through enrollment in and successful completion of college nonsectarian courses at eligible participating postsecondary institutions. Most PSEO courses are offered on the campus of the postsecondary institution; some courses are offered online. Each participating college or university sets its own admissions requirements for enrollment into the PSEO courses. Eleventh and 12th-grade students may take PSEO courses on a full- or part-time basis; 10th-graders are eligible to enroll in PSEO on a more limited basis (see note below). Students must meet the PSEO residency and eligibility requirements and abide by participation limits specified in Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09. If a school district determines a pupil is not on track to graduate, she/he may continue to participate in PSEO on a term-by-term basis.
Tenth-grade students may initially enroll in one Career and Technical Education (CTE) PSEO course if they receive a reading proficiency score of “meets” or “exceeds” on the 8th-grade MCA. If 10th graders taking a CTE PSEO course earn at least a grade C in that class, they may take additional postsecondary courses. If the student did not take the MCA in 8th grade, another reading assessment accepted by the enrolling postsecondary institution can be substituted. For students with disabilities, there is an alternative option to demonstrate reading proficiency.
For current information about the PSEO program, visit the Minnesota Department of Education’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) webpage https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/ccs/pseo/
If you have more questions or would like to enroll in PSEO, please contact Mrs. Paulson before the end of the current school year.
