Early College Program

The Early College Program at Virtual Academy is a highly competitive program that allows eligible high school students to begin their college education early.  To qualify for the Early College Program at Virtual Academy, students must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Students must currently be enrolled at Virtual Academy. To learn more about the Virtual Academy enrollment process, please contact the office at (909) 888-0763.
• Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 throughout high school and a minimum GPA of 1.89 when applying. This ensures the participants have a strong academic foundation for success in high school and college courses.
• Students must have scored 2 or greater on the most recent ELA and math CAASPP or an equivalent assessment. This ensures that students have demonstrated proficiency in key subject areas, preparing them for the challenges of college-level coursework.
• Applicants should have minimal disciplinary records, indicating a commitment to fostering an environment conducive to personal and academic growth.
• Prospective Early College Program participants must have an excellent attendance history, demonstrating a dedication to their education and readiness for the responsibilities of college-level studies.

Please contact the Virtual Academy office to express your interest or for more information. We look forward to supporting your child's educational journey and helping them succeed in high school and college.

** Exceptions to eligibility requirements will be made case-by-case by the Virtual Academy College and Career Team.

Yes, students who take courses through Virtual Academy's Early College program have a very high chance of getting into courses offered in our planned sequence. For courses that are taken outside of our sequence, students run into the chance of being Waitlisted. Virtual Academy staff will work with students that have been waitlisted.

Academic Preparedness

Students who have been in a college atmosphere and have been successful tend to be better indicators of future college success.

Maturity and Responsibility

Students in Early College programs often exhibit a higher level of maturity and responsibility than their peers. They are navigating a challenging academic environment while still in high school, which can positively indicate their readiness for college.

Demonstrated interest in Higher Education

Participating in an Early College program shows universities that students are committed to pursuing higher education and are proactive about their academic and professional futures.

Students who take courses through the Early College Program receive priority registration.

At Virtual Academy, students can enjoy the benefits of completely free tuition, as well as free access to health services and books. Our commitment to providing a high-quality education without financial barriers ensures that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.

Many courses in our planned sequence CAN count towards high school requirements. We recommend meeting with a counselor or member of the College and Career team to discuss how this applies to your individual circumstances.

College courses within our planned sequence are transferrable to California universities and Cal State schools.

Yes, this program is only available to Virtual Academy students. To learn how to become a student of Virtual Academy please visit our Enrollment page. 

Yes, students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are eligible to receive accommodations. To request accommodations, they need to submit a copy of their IEP to the Accessibility department at Valley College. The Student Accessibility department will then review the IEP and coordinate accommodations with the student. Virtual Academy will support the student with this process.

Students who take college-level courses are expected to be more independent and mature than their high school peers.

Parents should offer support by helping their child with time management, keeping track of appointments, and providing advice if needed. However, contacting Valley College on behalf of the student is not allowed. This includes emailing professors regarding assignments or extensions. Professors are not legally authorized to provide such information to parents. As a parent, you may help your child compose emails to professors or the college, but it is essential that all correspondence comes from the student. 

The Virtual Academy champions' role is also to support students in navigating college, which includes writing proper emails to professors and offering guidance on contacting different departments when necessary.

The Early College program provides several resources and services to help students excel in college-level courses and plan their academic and career paths. Most students in the program must take a student development class, which teaches them about campus resources, how to use the Canvas learning management system, and familiarizes them with college culture. This class is highly recommended and is often the first course students take.

Personalized Learning Champions are assigned to each student to guide them through college. These champions meet with the students at least once a week to discuss their courses and offer guidance on resources if required. Valley College provides a range of tutoring services, including virtual and in-person support for writing and peer support.

Early College students receive personalized academic advising to help them choose appropriate college courses that align with their academic pathway and transfer to Cal States and Universities. While advising students, the program ensures that they satisfy high school requirements.

To help students develop the necessary academic skills to succeed in college-level courses, the Early College program may offer study skills workshops on topics such as time management, note-taking, and test preparation.

 
Early College students have access to career and college counseling services to explore potential career paths, research colleges and universities, and navigate the college application and financial aid process.

Our Early College Program involves college-level courses that may expose students to mature content and discussions. The content, assignments, and discussions are at the discretion of the professor and may cover topics such as race, gender, sexuality, social, cultural, and political values throughout history. Students may also come across art in print and media that includes nudity, explicit content, or vulgar language. Our aim is to create a respectful and inclusive learning environment where students can thoughtfully and critically engage with these complex topics and materials.

It's important to note that parents or family members should not contact the professor to express dissatisfaction with the course material being used.

Dual enrollment courses do not require an additional test to receive college credit. AP courses culminate with an AP exam, and depending on their exam scores, students may receive college credit for AP courses. Additionally, while high school teachers teach AP courses, college professors traditionally teach
dual enrollment courses. IB is primarily an international program offering a challenging and diverse education at schools authorized as IB World Schools.
To receive an IB Diploma, students must take a standard set of courses and exams during their junior and senior high school years. Students may receive college credit for IB courses depending on their exam scores.

If the college course is too much, for whatever reason, we will support your student by helping them remove the course from their schedule. Students need to know the drop date- which will be part of the process they complete when registering for their course. If students are removed by the drop date, the attempt to take the course will not be reflected on their transcripts. However, if applicable, we will need to work with the student's team to replace the class with another high school course. This way, the students will stay caught up on credits.

It is the responsibility of the student to register, drop, and withdraw from SBVC classes. Students can find the drop and withdrawal dates on the student's Self Service portal under Registration Statement. Students must communicate with their Champions of their intent to drop or withdraw from a college course.

If a student receives a grade below a C-, it will be considered not passing, and the following steps will be taken:

• The student will not have the grade on their high school transcript because it does not meet A-G requirements. However, all grades will be reflected on their college transcripts.
• The student will meet with the Program Lead, with input from the Champion, to determine if the student should continue into the next session of the ECP.
• If the student continues in the ECP, they will be placed on Tiered 3 interventions and will need to retake the course that was not passed.
• There may be a cooling-off period during which the student takes a session off from the ECP and returns with Tiered 2 or Tiered 3 interventions. This decision will be based on the team's considerations, taking into account the input of the student and parent.