KI-BE HIGH SCHOOL
RUNNING START INFORMATION SHEET
Welcome to “Running Start”! To help ensure success for all students in the Ki-Be/CBC Running Start
Program, the following is a summary of facts regarding enrollment.
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
To enroll in Running Start, high school students must pass the Columbia Basin College COMPASS
Placement Test with scores which qualify them for 100-level or higher courses. Specific retest options
are available for those who pass only one section and miss the cut-off score of the other section by only
one point.
PROGRAM BENEFITS:
Qualified students are entitled to enroll at CBC for a maximum of 15 “paid” credits per college quarter
(there are three quarters during the academic year), or 45 credits per school year, with tuition being paid
by the State of Washington. Students must pay for their own books, transportation, fees and other costs.
Students are eligible for participation in the program for up to 6 college quarters (two school years) and
may earn a maximum of 90 credits at CBC. Students are also allowed to “buy” additional credits
beyond the 15 credits per quarter, or during summer quarter. These courses may still count toward high
school graduation requirements, as long as they are earned PRIOR to a student’s Senior spring quarter.
COMPARING CALENDARS:
The Kiona-Benton City School District calendar usually includes first semester starting around August
31st, second semester starting around the 3rd week of January, and last day of school around June 10th.
A typical quarter schedule for CBC is: Fall quarter starts around September 20th, Winter quarter starts
around January 3rd, and Spring quarter starts around April 4th, with CBC ending in late June. Ki-Be and
CBC Spring Breaks are typically NOT the same week.
Due to nonalignment of these entry dates, students who begin CBC Running Start courses but who
withdraw after the first quarter, will NOT be able to add Ki-Be classes to their schedule until the start of
Ki-Be’s second semester (around the 3rd week of January). Students are encouraged to purchase
correspondence courses if they are lacking necessary required credits.
ELIGIBLE CBC COURSES:
Any courses with numbers 100 or above are open to Running Start students. Those below the 100-level
are not permitted. Even if you qualify in math, reading and verbal areas, students are not required to
take either math or English courses at CBC.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:
In order to receive a Ki-Be diploma, Running Start students will meet all Ki-Be graduation requirements
as outlined by district policy. It is mandatory that the student meet with Mrs. Minkler create a plan for
the completion of requirements before enrolling in CBC elective courses.
TRANSPORTATION:
Student/parent will be responsible for their own transportation arrangements. Student/parent also
absolves Kiona-Benton City School District of any liability incurred while traveling to participate in this
program.
COURSE PLANNING PROCEDURES:
It is the ultimate responsibility of the student to track and plan their personal Running Start program.
They should know at all times the specific courses and timeline needed to complete those courses.
Signature of Mrs. Minkler, the student’s parents and student are required before the CBC coordinator
will sign and process the pre-registration course requests for each quarter. It is the responsibility of the
student to communicate with and meet as needed with the coordinators to plan the yearly program
(particularly if courses are “dropped,”), update changes as needed, and to pre-register for both Ki-Be and
CBC courses. Running Start students must read all CBC and Ki-Be correspondence and announcements
regarding the pre-registration for the next quarter or semester. Copies of all forms must be given to Mrs.
Minkler immediately for the Ki-Be student files.
GRADUATION ISSUES:
A Running Start senior who is enrolled in a spring quarter CBC course required for high school
graduation will not be allowed to participate in the Ki-Be graduation ceremony; and they will not
receive a Ki-Be diploma until the official CBC transcript is received by Ki-Be and entered onto the
transcript (usually in July). Therefore, it is important to complete your graduation requirements by
winter quarter of your senior year if you want to walk in the Ki-Be graduation ceremony.
Students who fail required classes at CBC such as English or History, may not be able to re-enroll in
these courses either through CBC or Ki-Be in time for graduation. The student assumes this
responsibility and will make the high school and/or college counseling staff aware of any problems
they may be having so that appropriate measures may be taken, including the student having to
purchase correspondence or online courses, or delay of graduation. Students who earn an A.A. degree
through the Running Start program are eligible to be presented with a high school diploma, even if they
have not met standard high school graduation requirements such as passing the HSPE or completing a
senior project; however, such students will NOT be allowed to walk at the Ki-Be graduation
ceremony; and many universities will NOT allow students to “transfer in” unless they have earned
a full high school diploma.
KBHS/CBC TRANSCRIPT CREDITS:
Enrollment in Running Start courses opens a permanent CBC transcript. Disclosure of this record is
required for all future college and university enrollments, as well as many scholarship application forms.
CBC credits are converted to the high school unit system as follows:
5 college credits =1.0 high school credits;
3 college credits = .5 high school credits;
2 college credits = .3 high school credits.
1 college credit = .2 high school credits.
Credits and grades earned at CBC become a part of the high school transcript and will be entered into
permanent record immediately following receipt of the college transcript. CBC classes with less than 3
credits will not be put on the Ki-Be transcript unless they are related to other courses that when
combined add up to at least 3 college credits (such as multiple enrollments in fitness classes).
GPA AND SENIOR RANK:
All CBC transcript data is computed into the Ki-Be permanent records and will be included in the
individual GPA and class rank without any special “weighting”.
FULL TIME STUDENT STATUS:
A student enrolled in 15 credit hours at CBC, or 6 classes at Ki-Be, or a combination of each, will be
considered a full time student. Students can take both CBC and Ki-Be classes by carefully planning
their yearly schedule and the total number of courses. However, students may never exceed full-time
status (i.e. carry 15 credits at CBC and take classes at their high school at the same time). There is a
chart on the CBC website that shows the “maximum” number of credits a Running Start student may
have both at their home high school and at CBC, before incurring additional tuition costs (i.e. the more
credits at high school, the less they can have at CBC and vice versa). The credit/tuition form must be
signed by the high school counselor each quarter, before a student will be allowed to register for their
CBC classes.
HOME SCHOOL AND PRIVATE SCHOOL STUDENTS:
All students whose parents reside in the Kiona-Benton City School District are eligible for Running
Start courses. These students will be enrolled as Kiona-Benton City High School students and will work
directly with the high school counselor to plan their program and pre-register for all courses.
INTERDISTRICT TRANSFER STUDENTS:
Those students from neighboring districts must register for Running Start courses through the district in
which they reside. No inter-district transfer students will be accepted for the program.
ATHLETIC ELIGIBILITY:
A Running Start student is eligible to participate in high school sports. The NCAA Clearinghouse is
very specific about the types of courses it will accept; students interested in participating in athletics at a
Division I or II school need to inform their high school counselor.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS:
Please see the high school counselor (Mrs. Minkler) or call the CBC Running Start Coordinator, Janice
Bocek, at 509-542-4481.