CLHS Students Can Earn College Credit at LBCC

Central Linn High School students do not have to wait until graduation to begin college. Through Oregon’s Expanded Options Program, eligible students may take approved courses through Linn-Benton Community College while remaining enrolled at CLHS. These courses can provide access to advanced academics, career and technical education, online learning, and subjects that are not otherwise available at the high school.

An approved LBCC course may earn both college credit and Central Linn High School credit. With careful planning and successful completion of an appropriate sequence of transferable courses, a student may graduate from CLHS with much—or potentially all—of the freshman year of college already completed. The exact amount of progress depends on the courses completed, the student’s intended college major, degree requirements, and how the receiving college applies each credit.

Oregon’s Expanded Options Program is governed primarily by ORS 340.005–340.090.

What Is Expanded Options?

Expanded Options allows an eligible CLHS student to enroll directly in an approved LBCC course. The course may be offered on an LBCC campus, online, or through another approved delivery method.

Eligible courses may include academic, career and technical education, and distance education courses that can contribute to high school completion, a certificate, professional certification, an associate degree, or a bachelor’s degree. A course is not eligible under Expanded Options when it duplicates a course with an identical scope that is already offered at the student’s resident school (ORS 340.005).

Expanded Options courses are incorporated into the student’s educational plan and CLHS schedule. The program generally does not apply when a student is enrolled in CLHS classes for every available instructional period and takes an additional college course outside that full schedule (ORS 340.080).

Students remain enrolled in Central Linn School District while participating in Expanded Options (ORS 340.045).

A Head Start on High School and College

Expanded Options may help students:

• Access advanced courses not available at CLHS.
• Earn high school and college credit at the same time.
• Complete college prerequisites or general education courses early.
• Explore a possible college major or career field.
• Begin an LBCC certificate or degree pathway.
• Prepare for transfer to a four-year college or university.
• Create room for additional advanced, elective, or career-focused opportunities later in high school.
• Reduce the time and potential expense required to complete a college degree after high school.

Before a student begins an approved course, CLSD must identify the number and type of high school credits that will be awarded upon successful completion. Those credits count toward applicable state and District graduation and subject-area requirements and are recorded as credits earned through a postsecondary institution (ORS 340.040).

Oregon’s credit rules also permit districts to award required or elective credit through approved options included in a student’s personal education plan (OAR 581-022-2025). Participation in Expanded Options does not remove any state or CLSD diploma requirements (OAR 581-022-2000).

Can a Student Complete the Freshman Year of College?

It is possible. A student who begins early, selects courses strategically, and completes an appropriate sequence may earn enough applicable college credit to enter college with much or all of the freshman year completed.

However, earning college credits is not automatically the same as completing the first year of every college degree. Different colleges, universities, majors, and professional programs may apply the same course differently. Students plan with:

• The Academic Advisor;
• An LBCC academic advisor; and
• When possible, an advisor from the college or university the student may attend after graduation.

LBCC provides transfer advising and maintains transfer agreements and pathways with partner colleges and universities through its Transfer Center.

Who May Participate?

Under Oregon law, an Expanded Options student generally must:

• Be enrolled in an Oregon public school;
• Be at least 16 years old when the college course begins;
• Be in grade 11 or 12;
• Have an educational learning plan developed with an advisory support team;
• Have remaining high school diploma requirements; and
• Be accepted for enrollment by the eligible college.

A student who is not classified as an 11th- or 12th-grade student because the student has not earned the expected number of credits may participate when approved by the District. Complete eligibility provisions are established in ORS 340.005.

Eligibility through CLSD does not guarantee admission to LBCC or placement in a particular course. LBCC may apply admissions standards, prerequisites, placement requirements, course-capacity limits, and program restrictions. Oregon law does not require a postsecondary institution to accept every applicant (ORS 340.030).

Expanded Options and College Now Are Different

CLHS students may encounter more than one opportunity to earn LBCC credit.

Expanded Options

Under Expanded Options, an eligible student enrolls directly in an approved LBCC course. The course becomes part of the student’s planned high school program, and the student follows applicable LBCC registration procedures, deadlines, academic expectations, and course requirements.

LBCC calls its program for high school students taking LBCC classes its Campus High School Programs. Students interested in this option should begin by speaking with their high school counselor.

College Now

College Now courses are CLHS courses taught at the high school during the regular school day by LBCC-approved high school instructors. LBCC identifies Central Linn High School as a participating school, and College Now is provided without tuition to participating students (LBCC College Now).

College Now and Expanded Options may both result in college credit, but they have different enrollment processes, course locations, eligibility requirements, and funding arrangements.

Application Process

1. Meet With the Academic Advisor

Students should begin planning well before the statutory deadline. The counselor will review the student’s:

• Progress toward graduation;
• Current CLHS schedule;
• Educational and career goals;
• Proposed LBCC courses;
• Remaining graduation requirements;
• Academic readiness; and
• Need for advisory, disability-related, or other student supports.

The student, family, and advisory support team will develop or update an educational learning plan showing how the proposed college coursework relates to the student’s short- and long-term goals (ORS 340.025).

2. Submit an Official Notice of Intent

A student who wants to participate during the following school year must officially notify CLSD of that intent before May 15.

A student who transfers into the District after the annual notification or returns to high school after dropping out has 20 business days from enrollment to indicate interest (ORS 340.025).

CLSD must notify the student and parent or guardian of the student’s eligibility status within 20 business days after the student officially expresses an intent to participate (ORS 340.015).

3. Obtain Course and Credit Approval

CLSD will review each proposed course to determine:

• Whether it is an eligible postsecondary course;
• Whether it duplicates a course offered at CLHS;
• How it fits the student’s educational learning plan;
• Whether it supports remaining graduation requirements;
• The number and type of high school credits to be awarded;
• How the course will fit into the student’s CLHS schedule; and
• What financial arrangements apply.

Students must receive written approval before assuming that an LBCC course will count toward graduation or be funded through Expanded Options.

A student may appeal a District determination that a proposed course duplicates a course available at the high school, using the appeal procedures established under ORS 340.030.

4. Apply to LBCC

After working with CLHS, the student must complete the applicable LBCC application and enrollment steps. Students can find current application information, deadlines, and resources on the LBCC Campus High School Programs page.

Acceptance into Expanded Options by CLSD and acceptance or registration by LBCC are separate decisions. Course admission may depend on prerequisites, placement, available space, and other LBCC requirements.

5. Register Only After Final Approval

Students should not register for a course, purchase materials, or assume that CLSD will pay a cost until the student has received final authorization and instructions from the District.

CLHS and LBCC calendars may not align. Students are responsible for knowing LBCC registration, withdrawal, grading, attendance, and course-completion deadlines.

Tuition, Fees, Books, and Materials

For approved Expanded Options participation, CLSD and LBCC negotiate a financial agreement covering actual instructional costs, including tuition, fees, textbooks, equipment, and required materials (ORS 340.045).

When LBCC receives payment for an eligible student under the Expanded Options agreement, LBCC may not charge that student tuition, fees, or other required instructional costs associated with the approved course. A student may apply to CLSD for reimbursement of required textbooks, fees, equipment, or materials purchased for an eligible course. Items paid for by the District remain District property and may need to be returned (ORS 340.050).

Funding arrangements must be approved in advance. Courses taken independently, courses not approved through Expanded Options, and purchases made without authorization may be the responsibility of the student or family.

Transportation is not automatically provided. Oregon law permits a district to provide transportation but does not require it in every circumstance (ORS 340.050).

Academic Expectations

An Expanded Options student is both a CLHS student and an LBCC student. The student must:

• Maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by LBCC;
• Meet course prerequisites and placement requirements;
• Attend and participate as required by the instructor;
• Follow LBCC academic, conduct, registration, and withdrawal procedures;
• Monitor the LBCC calendar and student email;
• Communicate promptly with both the LBCC instructor and CLHS counselor;
• Provide CLSD with a copy of the final grade for each Expanded Options course; and
• Continue making progress toward all CLHS graduation requirements.

Oregon law requires participating students to maintain the academic progress standards established by the postsecondary institution (ORS 340.030).

College courses may move faster and require more independent reading, writing, studying, planning, and communication than a typical high school course. Students should consider their total workload, transportation, extracurricular commitments, employment, and family responsibilities before enrolling.

Grades, Withdrawal, and Course Completion

Successful completion of an approved college-level course results in LBCC college credit. The applicable high school credit and course completion are also entered into the student’s CLSD education record and identified as credit earned through a postsecondary institution (ORS 340.040).

Failing, withdrawing from, or not completing a course may:

• Prevent the student from earning high school credit;
• Affect progress toward graduation;
• Appear in the student’s LBCC academic record under LBCC’s grading and withdrawal rules;
• Affect the student’s satisfactory academic progress;
• Affect eligibility for later college coursework; and
• Require the student’s educational and graduation plan to be revised.

Students must contact their CLHS counselor before dropping or withdrawing from an LBCC course. Stopping attendance does not automatically withdraw a student from the course.

Transferability of College Credit

LBCC awards postsecondary credit when a student successfully completes an eligible college-level course. Other colleges and universities determine whether and how that credit applies after the student leaves high school (ORS 340.040).

A course may transfer as:

• A specific course required for a degree;
• A general education requirement;
• An elective;
• Credit that applies only to certain programs; or
• Credit that is not accepted by the receiving institution.

Students who want to complete much or all of the freshman year before graduating should choose courses as part of an intentional transfer or degree plan—not simply accumulate unrelated credits.

Participation Limits and Availability

A student generally may participate in Expanded Options for no more than the equivalent of two academic years. A student who first enters the program in grade 12 may participate for no more than the equivalent of one academic year (ORS 340.040).

Oregon law also establishes a schoolwide limit on the number of Expanded Options college credits, although a district may choose to exceed that limit. If student requests exceed the available credit-hour capacity, the District’s selection process must give priority to eligible at-risk students (ORS 340.080).

Approval therefore depends on student eligibility, course eligibility, academic planning, college acceptance, available course space, applicable funding agreements, and program capacity.

Students With Disabilities

CLSD remains responsible for required special education and related services for an eligible student participating in Expanded Options (ORS 340.070).

College accommodation processes may differ from high school procedures. Students and families should begin planning early with the student’s CLHS case manager, Section 504 coordinator, counselor, and the appropriate LBCC accessibility office so that necessary supports can be considered before the course begins.

Important Deadlines

• Before February 15: CLSD provides students and families with notice of Expanded Options opportunities for the following school year.
• Before May 15: Interested students submit an official notice of intent to CLSD for the following school year.
• Within 20 business days of official intent: CLSD provides the student’s eligibility determination.
• Before registration: The student must complete educational planning, obtain course and credit approval, apply to LBCC, and confirm all financial arrangements.
• Throughout the course: The student must follow LBCC’s calendar, deadlines, academic requirements, and withdrawal procedures.

Take the First Step

Students interested in Expanded Options should contact the CLHS Counseling Office as early as possible. Early planning provides the best opportunity to select courses that meet high school requirements, apply toward an LBCC certificate or degree, and transfer effectively to a four-year college or university.

Additional information is available through:

• LBCC High School Partnerships
• LBCC Campus High School Programs
• LBCC College Now
• LBCC Transfer Center
• Oregon Department of Education—Expanded Options Program
• Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 340

This page provides a general overview. Current Oregon law, CLSD policy and procedures, LBCC requirements, funding agreements, and individual course approval decisions control when they differ from this summary.