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College Accelerated Program

Pender County Schools, in partnership with Cape Fear Community College, offers the CAP (College Accelerated Program) for students in grades 9-12. This program allows students to earn a high school diploma while working towards college credits at CFCC beginning in the fall of their junior year. By graduation, students can achieve two years of college transferable credit or an associate degree, ensuring CCP eligibility.

CAP operates similarly to CCP ( Career and College Promise ) enrollment, with specialized advising in 9th and 10th grades to prepare students for CCP opportunities in later years. The goal is for students to complete the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science pathways by 11th grade and finish remaining degree credits in their senior year.

Students in CAP can choose the Associate in Arts Transfer Pathway (P1012C) or the Associate in Science Pathway (P1042C) . Deviating from these pathways may result in students not completing the full AA/AS Degree.

While students can explore secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) Pathways , these are not part of the CAP curriculum. Approval from the CAP liaison and PCS designee is needed to ensure that CTE enrollment doesn’t hinder AA/AS Degree completion.

Key Features and Benefits

Tuition-Free College Classes
Through the CCP program, tuition is waived for dual-enrolled students. However, students are responsible for any applicable fees charged by the College to its regularly enrolled students.
Intentional Advising Model
PCS counselors schedule 9th and 10th grade classes for CAP cohort members following the CAP course plan model. Advising and registration for CFCC classes start in the Spring semester of sophomore year for enrollment in the Fall semester of junior year. The CAP liaison provides guidance and registration assistance in line with state CCP procedures and the CAP model.
Designated Liaison for Engagement and Support
The CAP program assigns a liaison to support students from selection into the cohort until graduation. The liaison conducts regular meetings, virtual sessions, and advises on college planning and registration upon CCP admission at CFCC. Students with an unweighted GPA below 2.8 at the end of sophomore year will be dismissed from the College Accelerated Program, since this is the minimum GPA requirement for eligibility into the CFCC CCP program.
Cohort Model
CAP operates on a cohort model, where students progress together as a group. This encourages community, collaboration, and mutual support, fostering motivation and collective growth among peers with similar goals.

Why does CAP only allow for the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees?

These degrees are integral to the North Carolina Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA), which governs credit transfer between NC community colleges and public universities. The objective is to facilitate seamless transitions for students.

Under the CAA, transferring students receive various assurances, including:

  • Guaranteed admission to one of the 16 UNC institutions (as outlined in the Transfer Assured Admissions Policy ).
  • The ability for graduates of two-year Associate in Arts and Associate in Science programs to transfer with junior status to constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina.

The Associate in Arts (A10100) degree is tailored for students seeking a four-year degree in liberal arts disciplines or professional schools requiring a robust liberal arts foundation. Meanwhile, the Associate in Science (A10400) degree suits students aiming for four-year degrees in fields like computer science, engineering, mathematics, sciences, or programs needing strong math and science backgrounds.

Moreover, courses within these degrees that are 3 credit hours or more carry an additional quality point weight when transferred back to the high school transcript, akin to the weighting of AP credits.

Application Process

The CAP application process is overseen entirely by Pender County Schools. Eligible students can apply during the spring semester of their 8th grade year. If you’re an eighth-grade student in Pender County Schools, please inform your middle school counselor of your interest.

It’s essential to clarify that students don’t complete their high school credits within two years. The intentional advising model doesn’t accelerate high school graduation. Core graduation requirements continue to be fulfilled at the high school until the spring semester of senior year. Since CAP is essentially CCP with tailored advising, all state procedures and regulations governing CCP apply.

CAP students have access to the College Transfer Pathway for one year as juniors and one year as seniors, but they cannot delay high school graduation to maintain CCP enrollment. It’s crucial to understand that core graduation requirements are fulfilled at the high school until the spring semester of senior year. Additionally, early high school graduation terminates CCP eligibility, and students would no longer be able to enroll in CFCC as dual enrollment students.

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