Earning World Language Credits With Dual Enrollment

No matter what state you are in, your teen needs to meet certain graduation requirements to earn their high school diploma. Some states include world language credits in their requirements. Some schools in states that don’t require world language add on their own requirement for world language. Regardless of whether or not your state and/or high school require a world language, most colleges will expect applicants have completed two or three years of language coursework during high school. Some highly rejective colleges will even recommend four years.

In our college planning programming, we encourage families to plan out their four years of high school coursework on paper in pencil. By getting basic requirements out of the way early in high school like health or PE, juniors and seniors have more space in their schedules to take courses that explore career interests or provide a joyful diversion.

For many students, world language is one of those boxes they’d like to check off early, get done, and out of the way to free them up for other interests.

As a result, the question comes up—can we use dual enrollment (College Credit Plus in Ohio) to take world language courses?

You can, but you need to understand what college world languages are like and how they will differ from studying language in high school.

College courses don’t meet every day. Some don’t even meet in person – imagine the additional challenge of taking a world language class online. And perhaps you are only meeting one day a week.

A language is best learned with regular practice, communication, and touch points. In high school, students are spending about an hour each day learning, practicing, and using those language skills. It is a totally different experience than the one you’ll have with dual enrollment (college) classes that may convene only a few times each week and/or may meet virtually instead of in person.

Additionally, college-level language courses do not easily align with high school level courses. Say you take Spanish 2 in high school. You will probably not be able to easily transition from that to a college level Spanish 3.

World language courses in college move quicker, and they expect a higher level of comprehension. You might even start with a level 1 Spanish in college. If in doubt, speaking with an advisor at the college you are considering will help.

Is taking a world language through dual enrollment possible? Yes. However, we recommend you exercise caution and fully understand your student’s skill level and ability to work under the unique conditions that are part of the college world language course format.

What about American Sign Language (ASL)?

American Sign Language is a great language option for students who struggle to learn the typical world languages or for anyone that just has an interest in it and wants to acquire that skill.

This blog takes a closer look at using ASL to meet your college acceptance requirements and fulfill credits required in college.

ASL can be an option at many colleges and can be taken through dual enrollment. As with any world language, consider the environment in which your student learns best.

We do have a virtual course to recommend with ASL Virtual Academy. In Central Ohio, they have successfully worked with local school districts to use their credit flex policies to include their ASL coursework on a student’s transcript.

If you need 1-on-1 support to think through these types of high school and college planning considerations, be sure to check out our Private Consultation service.

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