College in the Schools (CIS) or Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO):

College in the Schools (CIS) Steps to Enroll

College in the Schools (CIS) is a concurrent enrollment program administered by Central Lakes College in partnership with Pequot Lakes High School. Students can earn both high school and college credit through CIS courses offered at Pequot Lakes High School. The CIS program gives high schools an opportunity to strengthen their academic course offerings while providing high school students a jump-start on earning college credits. Students experience the academic rigor of college curriculum and strengthen their study skills in a high school environment.

Qualifications for enrolling in a CIS Course:

• Students must have a 2.5 GPA as seniors or a 3.0 GPA as juniors
• High school sophomores in the top 10% of their class, have a 3.5 GPA, and have taken 1 College Career and Tech Education course for one semester before enrolling in other courses.
• Students must earn qualifying scores on the Accuplacer test, MCA reading test or the ACT Reading or English test.

Dropping a CIS course after 2 weeks (10 academic sessions) will result in a “W” (withdrawal) on a student’s college and high school transcript & will remain there indefinitely (if the CIS course is year long, students have until 10 days into 2nd semester to drop without a “W”). A “W” or a “F” are considered non-completion of credits and can impact whether a student is put on academic probation. Please consult with the school counselor to make an informed decision.

Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO)

Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) All students intending to enroll in PSEO coursework are REQUIRED by MN State Statute 124D.09, to inform the district of such intent by May 30th for Fall courses and October 30 for Spring courses, prior to enrollment. Students who fail to inform the district by the deadlines, may be responsible for the postsecondary costs.

This program allows high school juniors and seniors, who meet admission requirements, to attend an eligible post-secondary institution full or part-time. Students must have a qualifying GPA as well as take the college readiness assessment and meet the placement scores required for college level work. Online courses are strictly the responsibility of the student. Students taking courses through Central Lakes College (CLC) use the college's student portal, D2L BrightSpace. This includes any equipment/materials that are required for the course (i.e. books, lab kits, etc.) Students who take PSEO online or in-person courses are 100% responsible for their own grades. The staff at Pequot Lakes High School have no access to students' grades until after the semester is completed and grades are posted. Dropping a PSEO course after 2 weeks (10 academic sessions) will result in a "W" (withdrawal) or an “F” on a student's college transcript and will remain there indefinitely. Students will also receive this grade on their high school transcript. Please note that a "W" or “F” is considered “non-completion” and can impact whether a student is put on academic probation.

Consult with your School Counselor to make an informed decision. Students intending to participate in the PSEO program must complete the same forms as a CIS student. They must also complete the PSEO Program Notice of Student Registration before May 30 and again by October 30 before registering for Spring semester classes.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

Some PLHS students find that accomplishing forty credits in the MnSCU system’s Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) is a realistic goal in high school. Students choose courses that add up to 40 credits in each of the ten goal areas. MnTC link

Associate of Arts Degree (A.A. Degree)

With a combination of College in the Schools course, a high school student can complete an Associates of Arts (A.A.) degree by the end of High School. A total of 60 college level credits within the required GPA must be obtained. This is a very rigorous program for most students. It is vital that the student can handle this as withdrawing or receiving a failing grade can have grave consequences on graduating from PLHS and a student’s future college enrollment and status.

The A.A Degree program requires significant planning. If a student intends to achieve an A.A. Degree before graduation, the student must plan prior to the junior year. Students must meet PLHS high school graduation requirements and the college’s graduation requirements.

For college math (Intro to College Algebra), students MUST qualify in one of the two ways:

• Sophomores Fall ‘25: Exceeds on 8th grade MCA test and QAS Accuplacer Score of 270
• Juniors Fall ‘25: QAS Accuplacer Test Score of 270.

Registration for College in the Schools

Students must attend the College Options Meetings to receive the correct information for the following process. Meeting logistics will be communicated to students through the weekly announcements and email.

Students taking CIS at PLHS must do the following:

• Complete a CLC application
  • Only ONCE during high school
• In Parchment, send Transcript to Central Lakes College.
• During the first week of class, each semester, students will register for their college courses using EServices, CLC.