Faculty/Instructors Page

Steps to Offering College Credit Now Courses at Your School

The Onondaga College Credit Now (CCN) concurrent enrollment program is an articulated program allowing students to earn SUNY college credit while still in high school. Both liberal arts and technical courses are offered through this program. The Office of Concurrent Enrollment & Secondary School Outreach facilitates these efforts.

How to Begin

  • The high school/school district contacts the Office of Concurrent Enrollment & Secondary School Outreach.
  • A Memorandum of Understanding, if not already in place, is executed between the high school and Onondaga Community College enabling college credit courses to be offered.
  • The Office of Concurrent Enrollment & Secondary School Outreach acts as liaison between the college academic department and the high school.
  • The high school/school district submits an instructor(s) for approval as CCN instructors. 

Instructor Handbook 
Teacher Information Sheet
Approval Process
Policy Document 

High School Faculty Responsibility

High school faculty agreeing to offer CCN courses will:

  • use the Onondaga CC course syllabus/objectives, texts, and exams
  • aid students to complete registration by the designated deadline
  • submit grades by the required deadline date .
  • provide assessment information and evaluation summary to the college, in alignment with SUNY regulations and guidelines 
  • Participate in training workshops as required, which may take place:
    • during the summer 
    • within an OCC semester by special arrangement between the college and the high school

School District Responsibility

School Districts participating in the College Credit Now program agree to:

  • execute a Memorandum of Agreement between the school district and OCC.
  • select a qualified instructor & notify the college of any impending instructor change
  • insure classes of a minimum of 6 students
  • provide textbooks, or an acceptable method for each student to obtain a textbook.

Student Responsibility

Students participating in the College Credit Now program agree to:

  • will officially register for the course 
  • will provide a Certificate of Residency if they reside outside of Onondaga County, available through their local County Clerk's Office 
  • will meet all course pre-requisites including Placement testing if appropriate

College Credit Now: Critical Dates 

March: Request for new courses and new teacher approvals should be submitted to the Office of Concurrent Enrollment and Secondary School Outreach by March for the following fall implementation. THE EARLIER THE BETTER!

Mid-April: Intent to Run a Course Form will be distributed to all approved instructors for the Fall Semester. Intent to Run a Course Form.

Early May: Intent to Run Course Forms for fall semester are due. 

First week of School: High school instructors receive CCN Registration Packets/Instructions. Web Access Registration Directions.

Third week of September: Online Registrations Completed/ Manual registrations due.

Mid-October: Official grade rosters sent to high school instructors – NO adds are allowed following the issuance of grade rosters unless correcting an error by the college or the school district. Official documentation is required. Student course surveys are sent to instructors.

Mid-November: Intent to Run Course Form distributed for Spring semester(due before Christmas vacation).

Drops: All drops for students must be emailed to Program Director 3 weeks before the end of the course. 

End of January (Regents Week): Grade sheets for fall semester due 

First week of second half of year (Feb. 1): High school instructors receive CCN Registrations/Instructions for Spring classes.

February (before Winter break): CCN online registrations completed; manual registrations due. 

Mid-March: Official grade rosters sent to high school instructors – NO adds are allowed following the issuance of grade rosters unless correcting an error by the college or the school district. Official documentation is required. Student course surveys are sent to instructors.

Mid-April: Intent to Run a Course Forms are due for fall semester.

Drops: All drops for students must be emailed to Program Director 3 weeks before the end of the course. 

End of June: Grade sheets due for spring semester

Frequently Asked Questions 

Why should your school choose Onondaga College Credit Now (CCN)?There are many benefits both for the students and the school/high school faculty.

  • CCN challenges and motivates students to work to their potential
  • CCN helps students gain admission to universities and colleges of their choice
  • CCN courses help students transition smoothly to a college environment
  • CCN courses are free
  • CCN help students graduate from college on time or early; saves money
  • CCN provide high school faculty with new challenges 
  • CCN provides high school faculty with new content and instructional strategies
  • CCN helps high schools and colleges gain an increased understanding of the goals and curriculum common to secondary and higher education 
  • CCN partnering colleges and universities foster strong local networks among high school teachers and higher education faculty

If a teacher is approved at one school and moves to another can he/she still offer the course?
Yes. The instructor is in effect an “adjunct” for the college no matter his/her location.

Does high school faculty get paid extra to offer CCN courses?
No, since these courses are offered within the school day the school district salary cannot be supplemented by the college. 

Can the high school course be aligned with the college course to give college credit?
No, the Onondaga CCN program accreditation requires that the course offered is the college course that is listed in the college catalog. The high school must use the college course outline/syllabus, text and exams.

What is an Onondaga “department mentor”?
Every course/section that is offered at a high school is overseen by a faculty member from the college department. The role of the this mentor is to act be a resource to the CCN high school instructors. They provide the course outline/syllabus, text information, and instructional strategies for delivering the content.

Do all students in the class have to enroll for credit?
No, Onondaga CC has “blended” classes where some students may opt for credit and some may only “audit” the class and not receive college credit.

If a student does not enroll for credit for the class, can he/she get credit retroactively after the course is over?
No, a student must make the decision to enroll for credit at the time he is actively taking the course. SUNY regulations do not allow for retroactive credit.

How does a student drop a course?
The high school instructor or school counselor must notify the Office of Concurrent Enrollment & Secondary School Outreach in writing (or by email) that a student should be dropped. Drop requests are not taken from students or parents; they must come from the school.

How late in the semester can a student drop a course and how will the course be reflected on his/her transcript?
A student can drop a course up until 3 weeks before the end of the semester. If the drop occurs early in the semester, the course may not show on the transcript at all. If it is later in the semester it will appear as a Withdrawal. There will be no grade reflected on the transcript for the dropped course.

Do students get 2 grades for the course, and how are the grades submitted for the college?
A student may receive both a high school grade and a college course grade if they are receiving both high school credit and college credit. The grades are usually the same or very close. The college grades are letter grades. A conversion table is provided to the high school instructors.

Can a student receive an “Incomplete” for a grade?
Yes, if there is a legitimate reason for the student not being able to complete the course, such as medical absences, the instructor may give the student an “Incomplete”. The student then has 1 more semester to complete the work for the course. If the student does not do so and the instructor does not enter a grade by the deadline, the student receives an “F”.

What happens if a student is caught cheating?
If a student is caught cheating, the college department policy should be applied. The CCN high school instructor should consult with the Onondaga department mentor for this information.