Administrative Procedure 6165 - Entrance, Monitoring and Exit Procedures for 3D Scholars Program

I. Purpose

The Prince George’s County Public Schools’ (PGCPS) 3D Scholars Program is a specialized program through which students earn dual enrollment credits towards an associate’s degree while in high school then immediately transition to Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) to complete their associate’s degree, and are then awarded a scholarship to the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) to earn their bachelor’s degree. Available courses of study are Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Cybersecurity.

II. Policy

Board of Education Policy 0118: Core Beliefs and Commitments

III. Background

The 3D Scholars Program is a specialized program available to students who meet the qualifying testing measurements and other criteria.

1. Limited Access: Maximum cohorts of 100 seats available per grade level. Applications will be screened to meet all criteria and requirements. Qualified applicant will then be selected through a lottery.
2. The students entering the program will be monitored through quarterly grade reporting.
3. Students entering the program in grades 9 and 10 will be designated as pre-3D Scholars until they qualify and begin taking college courses in grades 11 and 12.
4. The Prince George’s County Public Schools’ 3D Scholars Program is a specialized program through which students earn at least 30 credits towards an associate’s degree while in grades 11 and 12 and upon graduation transition to PGCC to complete their associate's degree, and are then awarded a tuition waiver to UMUC to earn their bachelor’s degree.
   
   Students have a maximum of 6 years after high school graduation to complete their bachelor’s degree.
   
   
5. Students in the 3D Scholars Program will complete courses in the degree pathways listed below:
   
   

   UMUC, Bachelor's Degree	PGCC, Associate's Degree
   B.S. Business Administration	A.S. Business Administration A.A.S. Marketing Management A.A.S. Business Management
   B.S. Criminal Justice	A.A. General Studies with concentration in Criminal Justice A.S. Forensic Science
   B.S. Computer Network	A.A.S. Cybersecurity
   Key	B.S. - Bachelor of Science A.S. - Associate of Science A.A. - Associate of Arts A.A.S. - Associate of Applied Science

   
   
   
6. The PGCPS school-based staff will provide outreach, advisement, student support, and retention supports to ensure the completion of 30 dual enrollment credits while in high school.
7. 3D Scholars must maintain a 2.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) throughout the duration of their high school experience. All students are expected to perform at a scholarly level.
8. The students must meet/fulfill SAT, ACT, or Accuplacer test benchmarks to enter into college level coursework in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics by August 1st after their sophomore year.
9. Students who obtain an unweighted cumulative GPA of 3.0 may not be required to obtain a benchmark score on the Accuplacer, SAT or ACT to enroll in credit bearing courses at PGCC; however, specific courses based upon a student’s major may require additional testing or pre-requisites
10. Students are encouraged to take dual credit courses. All dual credit courses will be documented with a “UC” grade during the quarter, and will be replaced with the final grade from PGCC upon the end of the semester. The “UC” grade represents “University/College”.
11. Please note: Developmental (remedial) courses may not be taken as part of the 3D Scholars Program.

IV. Definitions

1. 3D Scholars - The name “3D Scholars” stands for the three degrees earned in the program: high school diploma (PGCPS), associate’s degree (PGCC), and bachelor’s degree (UMUC).
2. Dual Enrollment Credit - Dual enrollment is an opportunity for high school students to take credit-bearing courses that count toward earning both a high school diploma and a college degree. In addition, the “dually enrolled student” is a student who is dually enrolled in a secondary school and an institution of higher education in the State of Maryland. Furthermore, the regulations of the Maryland Higher Education Commission define “dual enrollment student” in the context of community colleges to mean “a secondary student who is enrolled in college courses and receives both high school and college credit for the courses completed” COMAR 13B.07.01.02B.

V. Procedures

1. Entrance Requirements
   All potential 3D Scholars must apply in grades 8, 9 or 10 for the following fall. Applications must be submitted online at www.pgcps.org/3Dscholars, which includes standardized test scores such as ACT, SAT, PSAT, and Accuplacer. Applications will be reviewed and final selections will be made via lottery.
   
   The 3D Scholars Program is housed at Charles H. Flowers High School and students who are selected to participate in the program must agree to attend Flowers High School.
2. Maintain Eligibility Status
   A student must maintain eligibility requirements in order to remain and matriculate through the 3D Scholars Program. The student must maintain a 2.5 GPA and exhibit exemplary conduct on and off school campus beginning in 9th grade. All program students will have their high school grades reviewed quarterly and college grades reviewed by semester. Prior to grade 11, students in the program will be referred to as pre-3D Scholars. Students become 3D Scholars when they have successfully completed grades 9 and 10, met scoring benchmarks for entrance into college level courses at PGCC, maintained a 2.5 GPA, and successfully registered for a dual enrollment course.
   1. A student at the start of their 9th grade year must be enrolled in Algebra I or above and English 9 and complete these courses with a grade of a “C” or higher and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher to remain in the 3D Scholars Program.
   2. A student at the start of their 10th grade year must be enrolled in Geometry or a higher level mathematics course with English 10, and complete these courses with a grade of a “C” or higher maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher to remain in the 3D Scholars Program.
   3. A student at the start of the 11th grade year should have met all of the previous requirements in addition to the required testing measurements to begin the 3D Scholars Program track. Students who do not meet testing benchmarks prior to their 11th grade year, will be exited from the 3D Scholars Program and returned to their boundary high school.
   4. Students must take college courses at PGCC during the fall semester of their 11th grade year.
   5. Students are required to earn a grade of “C” or higher in all PGCC courses in his/her major. PGCPS is responsible for original credit tuition only up to a maximum of 60 credit hours. Students earning a grade less than “C” or who withdraw “W” may be required to repeat the course. Tuition for repeat courses will be the responsibility of the parent and/or guardian.
   6. Students who graduate from PGCPS with fewer than 30 credits towards their degree listed in Section II may be exited from the 3D scholars program.
3. Academic Status & Monitoring: PGCPS
   The school-based staff will monitor the student’s academic performance by using quarterly report cards from PGCPS and end of the semester grades from PGCC to evaluate student academic success. The student’s progress is contingent upon student’s success in dual credit courses along with ensuring the students complete all of their high school graduation requirements.
   
   3D Scholars encountering academic difficulty will be provided a parent conference to assess and determine next steps for the students’ continued enrollment in the 3D Scholars Program. Academic supports may include assistance from PGCPS and/or PGCC.
   
   The specific academic supports will include, but are not limited to, the following:
   1. Communication with parents/guardians and academic assistance provided by teachers, counselors, and the 3D Scholars school-based staff as well as a parent conference and written action plan.
   2. At any time, parents/guardians or staff members may request a review of a student’s grades.
   3. Whenever it is determined that a student is in need of academic assistance, the 3D Scholars school-based staff will provide notification to parents/guardians to inform them of the current academic status.
   4. Students must maintain good academic standing at PGCC. For additional information, please see web link below:
      http://www.pgcc.edu
4. Exit
   Students who do not maintain course requirements, a 2.5 GPA, and/or testing requirements outlined in Section V, will be exited from the 3D Scholars Program at the end of the school year, and must return to his/her boundary high school.
5. Procedures for Student Code of Conduct: PGCPS
   3D Scholars will uphold/adhere to the Code of Student Conduct in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook and refrain from exhibiting any inappropriate behavior or actions in PGCPS or the college/university institution. Students are encouraged to follow these procedures while they are located on or off school property during field trips, school sponsored events, athletic functions, college/university dual credit courses, while being transported on PGCPS vehicles and during any other school-related
   extracurricular activity.
   
   School-based staff members are encouraged to implement various levels of responses and interventions with students at all times during regularly scheduled school hours. Administrators are encouraged to use the lowest level of response to address inappropriate behavior. Serious behaviors deemed harmful to the safe and orderly environment of the school will be addressed at the highest level.
   
   Please refer to the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook for PGCPS students at the link below:
   http://www.pgcps.org/student_rights_responsibilities.htm
   
   
6. 3D Scholar Program Students Code of Conduct on PGCC Campus
   The PGCC community is committed to fostering a campus environment that is conducive to academic inquiry, a productive campus life and community of congeniality; therefore, students must also adhere to the PGCC Student Code of Conduct on the PGCC campus. Please refer to the link below for additional information on the PGCC website.
   https://www.pgcc.edu/student-rights-and-responsibilities/ (Chapter 5)
   
   
7. Attendance Procedures for PGCPS Students
   School achievement begins with regular attendance. Parents/guardians must ensure that all school-age children in their care are in school on time daily. Additionally, school personnel must communicate any attendance problems or concerns to parents/guardians in a timely manner. Refer to Board Policy 5113 and Administrative Procedure 5113, Student Attendance Absence and Truancy.
8. Attendance Procedure for PGCC
   College/University faculty have the authority to administratively withdraw any student who fails to attend or participate in a class during the first 20 percent of its meeting dates. This withdrawal is recorded as a “FX” grade and an effective date of last attendance must be assigned. It is treated the same as a student-initiated withdrawal in terms of its impact on the PGCC GPA. The “FX” grade will be recorded as an “E” on the PGCPS transcript. Please see PGCPS Administrative Procedure 6155.
   
   Refer to the Attendance Policy on the Prince George’s County Community College website below:
   http://www.pgcc.edu
   Students who have received attendance concerns by school-based staff and college/university faculty and are unsuccessful in consistently improving attendance will be referred to the principal, 3D Scholars Program staff and will be referred to the in-school School Intervention Team (SIT) process.
9. Withdrawal
   Any student who voluntarily withdraws from the 3D Scholars Program will meet with the principal and 3D Scholars Program staff to determine if the student should return to his/her regular attendance high school prior to the end of the school year. At the end of the school year, the student will return to his/her regular attendance high school.
10. Appeal Rights for Student Removal from 3D Scholars Program
    If a parent/guardian disagrees with the decision to remove a student from the 3D Scholars Program for reasons outlined in this procedure, the parent/guardian may submit a written appeal to the Supervisor of the Office of College Readiness within 10 calendar days of the withdrawal decision.
    
    If a parent/guardian disagrees with the decision of the Supervisor of the Office of College Readiness and the Department of Student Services to remove a student from the specialty program, the parent/guardian may appeal that decision within 10 calendar days to the Office of Appeals, which serves as the Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO) designee. The decision of the CEO’s designee shall be final.
11. Special Education Students enrolled in PGCC
    Students with documented disabilities may request academic accommodations through the Disability Support Services Office. These services comply with the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act of 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which mandates program accessibility for students with disabilities in postsecondary institutions receiving federal funds. The college is obligated to provide reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services to qualified students with disabilities to ensure their effective participation in all college programs and services. Students must disclose their disability in order to access services. Students do not have to disclose a disability to the college if they are not requesting services.
    
    For assistance, students can contact the Special Needs Advisor at:
    Disability Support Services
    Marlboro Hall, Room 2102
    301-546-0838
    Email: dss@pgcc.edu
12. Privacy Rights and Protection of Student Records
    The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student records. It includes academic records, financial aid records, attendance records and any other personally identifiable information collected by PGCPS and the college that, if shared, could violate the privacy rights of students and former students.

VI. Monitoring and Compliance

The Office of College Readiness in addition to the 3D Scholars Program Coordinator and Principal will monitor the adherence and implementation of the procedure.

VII. Related Procedures

• Administrative Procedure 5110.3, Student Transfers;
• Administrative Procedure 5113, Student Attendance, Absence and Truancy;
• Administrative Procedure 5121.3, Grading and Reporting for High School;
• Administrative Procedure 5123.2, General Procedures Pertaining to Promotion, Retention and Acceleration of Students;
• Administrative Procedure 5124, Student Intervention Team (SIT); Student Support Team (SST);
• Administrative Procedure 5146, Procedural Guidelines for Students Disabled Under Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
• Administrative Procedure 6150 - Educational Requirements and Options in Secondary Schools
• Administrative Procedure 6155 - Dual Enrollment Program
• Administrative Procedure 10101 - Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook

VIII. Legal Reference

COMAR 13B.07.01.02B, 13A.03.2, 13A.02.06.03.

IX. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

This procedure originates with the Department of Student Services and will be updated as needed.

X. Cancellations and Supersedures

XI. Effective Date

Documents

• Administrative Procedure 6165 - Entrance, Monitoring and Exit Procedures for 3D Scholars Program.pdf
• Administrative Procedure 6165 Attachment 1 - 3D Scholars Probation Form.pdf