Course and Instructor Approval Process

Course Approval

Through collaboration between the participating high schools, their district offices, and North Seattle College, courses will be approved for the College in the High School program using the process below. High school courses must be equivalent to a Seattle Colleges course (100-level or higher) and part of the Associate of Arts or Associate of Arts and Sciences degrees (AA and AAS) and in the current course catalog. The courses are for students in grades 9-12.

The following steps can occur at any time during the academic year, but each school district has its own policies and practices for course approval that may delay the start of instruction. Our preferred deadline to approve and hire new teachers is May 31st of each year but applications will be accepted up to one month prior to the start of a course. This is to meet accreditation standards as the course syllabus needs to be reviewed and course-specific new teacher orientation completed before the class begins. 

  • Program coordinator, teacher, or principal at the participating high school contacts the North Seattle College CHS Manager (Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences) to explore a partnership and discuss possible courses. 

  • The high school contact will be responsible for getting approval from their school or district's administration and collecting information on any high school/district policies or practices that may impact the schedule of implementation. This information will be shared with the CHS Manager to prepare for the next step.

  • When a course is identified, a meeting will be set up between high school and college stakeholders (college faculty, the appropriate division dean, the CHS manager, etc.) to collaboratively determine if the proposed high school course and the equivalent college course are in alignment (in cases where the high school believes they already have a class that meets the outcomes of the college course). When equivalency is reached, including an agreement on prerequisites (as needed), the course will be approved for the CHS program with a schedule for implementation. Teachers identified to teach the course will begin the application and hiring process.
  • Note: the high school and college courses need not be identical. High school instructors have academic freedom to build and design their course in the way they chose if outcomes and other design requirements as established by the college program are met.  

Instructor Application and Approval Process

Teachers must meet the same minimum qualification standards as part-time faculty at North Seattle College. The minimum requirements are as follows:

  • A master's degree in the discipline, OR
  • A master's degree in education with a bachelor's in the discipline (or related), AND
  • A minimum of one year teaching experience in the discipline.

Some departments may have additional requirements. The CHS Program Manager will have informed high school stakeholders of any such requirements during the course approval process.

Submit the following via email to brian.palmer@seattlecolleges.edu

  1. A resume outlining education and teaching experience.
  2. Unofficial transcripts.
  3. A recommendation letter from your principal.

The application materials are shared with the appropriate college discipline department coordinator and division dean for approval. If the NSC department coordinator recommends not hiring the instructor (applicant does not meet minimum qualifications of on-campus faculty hires), the academic dean will first contact the recommending principal/dual enrollment coordinator to request additional information that may address concerns expressed by the NSC department coordinator. If the decision is made to not move forward and with the support of the high school principal/dual enrollment coordinator, a denial letter will be sent by the academic dean.

After Approval

  1. When contacted, participate in the HR onboarding processes (including a background check and an in-person appointment to verify your identity).
  2. When the hiring process is complete, you'll receive an appointment letter from the College in the High School program along with a list of CHS teacher obligations for you to sign and return. 
  3. You'll be introduced to your NSC faculty Liaison who will work with you to schedule course-specific new teacher training and guide you through the creation of a paired syllabus, a common assessment activity, and an annual professional development activity. The syllabus must be submitted and the orientation completed prior to the start of the class.
  4. Complete the online administrative training manual in Canvas.

Late Changes

CHS courses must be taught by approved instructors. NACEP standards do not allow for instructor of record models of instruction. If a CHS instructor must take a planned or unplanned leave for more than 10 consecutive days of instruction, the high school must notify the NSC CHS program. There are three options for the class to continue: 1) an already approved CHS teacher can cover the leave, 2) qualified substitute teachers may apply for approval, or 3) the college may be able to locate an NSC faculty member to serve as the substitute during the leave. 

The college is responsible for ensuring an acceptable arrangement. If an agreement/arrangement can't be reached, the college may have to administratively withdraw students from the NSC course. 

Student teachers are not approved to deliver instruction on an extended basis in CHS classes. Student teachers may, under the guidance of an approved teacher, lead an occasional lesson. If the student teacher is assigned to teach more than 10 days in a CHS class, then arrangements must be made in accordance with the paragraph at the beginning of this section.

 

 

 

 

Updated for accessibility, 8/1/2024