High School Partner Teacher | Pine Technical and Community College

Thank you for partnering with Pine Technical and Community College (PTCC)! The colleges and universities of Minnesota State remain firmly committed to helping Minnesota's secondary students prepare for and successfully make the transition to college, regardless of when that transition begins. The opportunity for high school students to challenge themselves with college-level courses without leaving their high school campus would not be possible without motivated and enthusiastic high school teachers.

Below are some resources that you may find helpful throughout the year.

Teacher Application Process

Once it is determined by the partner high school to offer new concurrent enrollment course, the high school must indicate interest to the Director of Student Success for approval. If the new concurrent enrollment course is approved, any interested high school teachers must submit a new teacher interest form, resume/vitae, and undergraduate and graduate level transcripts, for review prior to PTCC prior to the high school submitting the course request form for the following academic year. 

Although new teacher interest forms are accepted throughout the year, PTCC prefers that all documents are submitted for consideration for the upcoming academic year by April 15. The optimal time to apply to the Concurrent Enrollment Program is between January and March when high school schedules are being developed.

Required Teacher Orientation

A new teacher orientation will be required of all new Concurrent Enrollment high school teachers. This orientation will provide information about PTCC's concurrent enrollment program, responsibilities of the high school partner teachers, and discipline specific information pertaining to the concurrent course that the teacher will offer.

The Faculty Mentor will also provide course-specific training in course philosophy, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. The new teacher orientation must occur prior to the Concurrent Enrollment teacher teaching the course.

Course Approval Process

Secondary administrators should contact the Director of Student Success to begin the conversation of offering concurrent enrollment courses. If approved, the proposed high school teacher will submit the following documentation for a PTCC subject matter expert to review prior to April 15^th:

Proposed syllabus
Proposed textbook
Sample assessment
Teaching statement addressing course philosophy and pedagogy

Credentialing Information

As with our college faculty, minimum qualifications are required to teach for PTCC's concurrent enrollment program. For liberal arts courses, teachers must hold a masters within the discipline in which they plan on teaching, or a master's degree with a minimum of 18 graduate semester credits with the discipline in which they plan on teaching. Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses require specific educational requirements, in addition to occupational experience. To determine credentialing requirements of a specific discipline, please visit the Minnesota State College Faculty Credentialing page, where you can search credential fields for discipline specific requirements.

Pathway to 18

High school teachers who do not meet credentialing requirements, must do so by September 1, 2023. Minnesota State Universities offer graduate programs and courses needed to meet HLC concurrent enrollment guidelines, delivered online to fit your schedule. Please visit Minnesota State’s Pathway to 18 website for more information and resources.

Professional Development

Concurrent enrollment teachers are to participate in annual discipline specific professional development opportunities provided by the college and Faculty Mentors to further enhance the Concurrent Enrollment teachers' pedagogy and breadth of knowledge in the discipline.

While there are multiple opportunities for discipline specific professional development, a college-wide Concurrent Enrollment Professional Development day is schedule in August prior to the start of the new academic year. All new and returning Concurrent Enrollment teachers are required to attend. High school teachers must adhere to the Non-Compliance Policy for Professional Development as stated in the Concurrent Enrollment handbook.