Information for Parents and Guardians of CCP Students
As parent, you may be wondering if College Credit Plus courses are a good fit for your child, and how you can best support them. This page covers the benefits of CCP courses for students in middle and high school, and important information for you to consider as a parent/guardian of a CCP student.
Benefits of CCP Courses
As you and your child start planning for college and beyond, CCP courses offer a valuable way to prepare for college and save money on college costs.
- Eligible CCP classes are offered tuition-free for students
- Students earn college credit while also satisfying high school graduation requirements
- CCP courses let students expand their academics beyond traditional high school curriculum
- Working at the college level builds the students’ confidence in succeeding in college
- Students can earn up to 120 credit hours, making it possible to complete a bachelor’s degree through CCP!
What Parents Need To Know
As you talk with your student about taking CCP classes, please discuss the dedication and commitment it takes to succeed in college. There is a significant difference in high school and college expectations, pace, rigor, and required hours of study outside of the classroom. The grades students earn in a CCP course are permanent grades on both their high school and college transcripts.
CCP courses are not edited in any way for underage participants, so controversial and adult topics can be expected. Students and parents should expect coursework and discussion that engage and challenge students on topics that likely would not be broached in traditional secondary schools.
When your student accepts the rights and responsibilities of being a college student, your parental role will change too. As the parent of an underage CCP student, you may have the heartfelt desire to continue advocating for your student. We respectfully share that our work is with the student and the high school guidance counselor. You can support your child by helping them navigate the college system, but cannot take on their responsibilities as you may have in middle or high school.
Per the U.S. Department of Education's Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), all students enrolled in a college or university, regardless of age, have the right to keep their information private and, without authorization, the college is prohibited from releasing this information to anyone other than the student. That means the college can only talk to the student about his/her personal and academic information. Click here for more information on FERPA.
Columbus State can share student information with the high school they are enrolled in. If the student is under 18, parents have the right to access any information held by the high school, including all information that is transferred from Columbus State to the high school.
Parents do not reach out to college faculty to discuss academic concerns. Students must talk to college professors themselves, as professors are also bound by FERPA. If parents believe their student is experiencing any type of academic distress, they should encourage the student to reach out their professor or their CCP advisor.
Students can grant parents Proxy Access to some of their information. Once the student is enrolled in Columbus State, they can log on to our CougarWeb system, choose "View/Add Proxy Access" and grant access to all personal information, or just the information they choose. It is important to note that Proxy Access does not include access to grades.
Parents are encouraged to sign up for our RAVE Moble Safety system to recieve text alerts of campus emergencies, including closings for inclement weather. Visit cscc.edu/rave.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified the health and safety of the College community as our primary concern.
Columbus State has announced that student instruction and services will remain primarily remote for the Autumn 2020 semester. Some exceptions will be made for in-person instruction and support when remote options are insufficient. Read more at cscc.edu/coronavirus