Re: Dual Credit Spanish III
Dear Parent:
Registration for the 2015-2016 school year is almost upon us, and current Spanish II
students can now enroll in HHS’s Spanish III Dual Credit, which is also Chandler Gilbert
Community College’s Spanish 101-102. This means that your student can earn eight
transferrable college credits next year. If s/he chooses to take Spanish IV Dual Credit the
following year, s/he can earn another eight credits, for a maximum of 16 college-credit hours
while still in high school! Since most college majors now require a minimum of two
semesters of college foreign language, s/he can fulfill that requirement now. Credits can
then be transferred to any in-state college or university and many out of state ones.
Although the high school honors credit is free, college credit currently costs $84/credit
hour, plus a $15/semester registration fee. Rates may increase slightly over the summer,
but community college rates are still much cheaper than those of four-year universities,
and the four-year in-state schools have approved several drastic tuition hikes in recent
years, with the possibility of more to come. Some need-based tuition waivers are available.
Please read the following fact sheet for more details, including what the class covers
(strong focus on conversational skills), payment details, transferability, and more. I will
visit the Spanish II classes this month to share this information with students directly, so
please talk with your student about this. Need-based tuition waivers are available through
the college. For questions, I can be reached at Donna.Carrier@gilbertschools.net. Thank
you for your time!
Sincerely,
Donna Carrier, Spanish Teacher, HHS/ Dual Credit Instructor, CGCC
www.sracarrier.com
SPANISH III DUAL CREDIT FACT SHEET
Credits: Eight (8) college credits total, four per semester. As long as the student passes the class
with a C- or better, s/he will receive a transcript from Chandler Gilbert Community College. These
credits WILL transfer to any state university, including ASU, U of A, and NAU, as well as any of
the community colleges. They transfer to some out-of-state schools as well; if the student plans to
go out of state, s/he should contact the out-of-state university directly to find out if they will accept
these credits, or talk to a guidance counselor.
Cost: Currently $351 per semester, or $702 for the year ($84/credit hour plus $15 per semester
registration fee). The first half will be due in Aug/Sept., and the second half in Jan/Feb.
Students register in class; instructions will be sent home the first week of school. Need-based tuition
waiver funds are available through CGCC. HHS provides texts. *Rates can increase a few dollars/credit in summer.
Compare this cost to the cost of a class at ASU: Cost for Spring ’15 part-time enrollment
of four credits, including fees, is $2,899/semester or $5,798/year ($677/credit hour plus
$191 in fees per semester, instead of $84/credit), and you have to purchase your own
textbook and workbook (approx. $140). Taking 15 credits at ASU, cost per credit is $316,
so the same class would be $1,264/semester or $2,528/year plus fees and materials.
What the class covers: The first semester, SPA 101, is mainly a review of concepts learned in
Spanish I, and the second semester, SPA 102, is a review of concepts learned in Spanish II with
some new vocabulary and a few new grammar concepts in each semester. Focus is on
conversational skills; since the “meat” of the course is mainly review, there is time to practice and
master all of the grammar learned in previous years, to learn how to really use the language.
Grades: Since this is an Honors class, A’s, B’s, and C’s are weighted on the Highland transcript.
To earn college credit, students must earn a C- or higher each semester.
So why should I take this course? There are several reasons:
1) You can get a head start on college credits; a semester in college is 15 credits, and this
course is over half that. In fact, there is a Spanish IV Dual Credit, which you can take for
another eight (8) credits the following year. This would give you an entire semester’s
worth of credit! You can graduate college sooner, and you can register ahead of those
with no credit and get the classes you need. The cost of this class through CGCC is
significantly cheaper than it would be at a four-year university!!!!!!!!!!!
2) Many colleges and many majors require foreign language. Get it over with now!
3) Having a second language makes you more marketable when you are job-hunting.
4) There are obvious benefits to being able to communicate in the second most spoken
language in the U.S. The main focus of this course is on actually speaking Spanish, not
just learning to read and write it!
**QUESTIONS? SEE Sra. CARRIER in room 1137!**