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Out-of-District Coursework

MVLA Out-of-District Course Guidelines

An out-of-district course is any class students take in-person or online outside of MVLA. Examples include community college classes or online high school courses. Students may choose to take out-of-district classes without prior district approval and have those transcripts sent directly to colleges when they apply. However, if a student wants an out-of-district course added to their MVLA transcript, they must follow the guidelines outlined below.

 

LAHS Out-of-District Course Permission Form

MVHS Out-of-District Course Permission Form

 

MVLA Out-Of-District Course Policy

 

All MVLA subject area graduation requirements, other than Electives, must be taken/completed at MVLA.

 

Credits for Out-of-District Courses

  • A total of 40 high school credits may be added to the MVLA transcript that are taken out-of-district, when approved by the school principal or designee.
  • All outside coursework approved to be added to the MVLA transcript will be counted toward the Electives requirement for the purposes of meeting MVLA graduation requirements. 
  • Students may earn an additional 20 credits (beyond the 40-credit cap) by taking a world language not offered at MVLA from a WASC-accredited, A–G approved institution. These courses can be counted toward the MVLA Fine Art/Practical Art/World Language graduation requirement.
  • MVLA Dual Enrollment (DE) courses (courses taught on an MVLA campus, during the school day, in partnership with a college) are not included in the 40-credit out-of-district cap.
  • Community college or college course credits are doubled when added to the MVLA transcript.
  • Out-of-district courses taken to remediate a D or lower, do not replace the grade/GPA of the prior course. Both course grades remain on the transcript and both courses’ credits are averaged into the MVLA GPA.
  • Once a course has been added to the transcript, it is permanent and shall not be removed or replaced with a different course.
  • Grades will not be replaced with a different out-of-district course from another institution. 

 

Enrollment Requirements While Taking Out-of-District Courses

  • During the academic year, students in grades 9–10 must be enrolled in a minimum of six classes at their MVLA high school. 
  • Students in grade 11-12 must be enrolled in a minimum of five classes at their MVLA high school.

 

Accreditation & College Eligibility 

Colleges and universities often require an official transcript from the credit-issuing institution, even if the out-of-district course and grade appear on the MVLA transcript.
 

It is the responsibility of the student and family to ensure that any out-of-district institution and course meets the following criteria:

  • The institution is WASC-accredited.
  • The course is UC/CSU A–G approved if the student intends to use it for college eligibility.
  • The course is accepted by:
    • UC/CSU campuses
    • Private colleges, universities, and out-of-state institutions
    • NCAA  (if applicable)
  • The institution provides letter grades and high school credits for the course.
  • The institution issues an official transcript (an “official academic record” or “official grade report” alone is not sufficient).

 

Out-of-District Course Process

Students enrolled in MVLA must follow the process listed on the MVLA Out-of-District Course Permission Form before enrolling in any outside coursework.

  1. Student completes and submits the MVLA Out-of-District Course Permission Form
    • Carefully read the guidelines listed on the form.
  2. For community college courses:
    • The student creates an account with the community college and submits the online dual/concurrent enrollment request, or
    • The student submits a Concurrent Enrollment Form to the principal or designee.
    • If submitting an automated online request, the principal or designee must be listed as the approver.
  3. Principal or designee reviews and responds to the request (approval or denial).
    • During summer months, requests may be routed to the district office if principals are on break.
  4. If approved, the student completes the outside institution’s enrollment process (this varies by institution).

 

 

Adding an Out-of-District Course to an MVLA Transcript

Upon completion of an out-of-district course, an official transcript showing course completion must be sent directly from the institution to the student’s high school registrar. 

 

To have approved out-of-district coursework placed on the MVLA transcript, official transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to the school’s registrar:

 

Middle School Students

  • Current eighth-grade students who wish to have a summer course placed on their high school transcript must:
    • Complete the course after promotion from middle school, in the summer after 8th grade, and
    • Obtain approval from their high school principal or designee in advance.
  • Approved coursework will be counted toward the Electives requirement for the purposes of fulfilling MVLA graduation requirements
  • As with all out-of-district coursework, it is the parent/guardian’s/student’s responsibility to ensure the institution is WASC-accredited and the class is UC-approved (if needed for A–G).

 

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