Expectations: South Early College students are considered HCC students and are held to the standards, expectations and regulations of HCC. Students are expected to be able to follow a course syllabus, work independently, behave appropriately, and complete assignments without reminders. The student, not parents, must communicate with the college instructor when experiencing academic difficulty.

Behavior: South Early College students must follow the Houston ISD Student Code of Conduct and the regulations and procedures concerning behavior, attendance and academic dishonesty as outlined by HCC. South Early College students are subject to school discipline according to the Houston ISD Code of Conduct. If an infraction leads to an Alternative Education Placement or suspension, these absences will count against those allowed by HCC.  The student is responsible for discussing the situation with the instructor to determine whether or not arrangements can be made to continue in the class.

Attendance: HCC does not accept parent or student excuses for absences; an absence is an absence. A student may be dropped from a college class after the student accumulates absences in excess of 12.5% of the hours of instruction. A student may be dropped after missing six hours (not days) of a class.

Dual Credit: At South Early College HS, many courses required for high school graduation are only available through the dual credit option. Students who fail a dual credit course must retake the course and pay full tuition for the course. If a student elects to withdraw from a dual credit course, he or she is still required to earn applicable credit towards graduation. Withdrawal is only allowed through administrative approval

Grades: Grade reports and progress reports are not issued during the course of the semester for dual credit courses. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor grades throughout the semester. Instructors will only communicate with the student about their grade status, so parents must communicate with their son or daughter about academic progress. A student’s high school grade for the course will be reported on his or her high school report card at the end of each semester; the college grade, on the student’s college transcript. Different grading scales at HCC and in HISD require that grades be converted. The following table demonstrates this conversion:

High School Diploma/ Graduation: No student may graduate from South Early College unless he or she meets all requirements for graduation prior to the graduation date. 

Transfer of College Credit: The State of Texas requires core college-level courses to transfer to state public institutions, but not private or out-of-state institutions. It is the student’s responsibility to ask the registrar’s office at the intended university if the college accepts HCC college-level credit in transfer. Generally, a “C” average or better is required for the course credit to transfer to other post-secondary educational institutions. Students must request a copy of their Official College Transcript and have it sent to colleges of their choice.

Complaints:  Students who have complaints are encouraged to attempt to resolve the matter with their college instructor.  If the student is uncomfortable speaking with the instructor or is dissatisfied with the result of the conversation, the students should be directed to the instructor’s department chair.  The names and contact information of the Central College Department Chairs are listed below.

Summer Course Enrollment:  Dual credit students are eligible to take a total of 2 summer HCC courses.  First, The student must first obtain a Dual Credit Approval Form signed by Mrs. Stewart Jones or Ms. Brooks, then s/he will complete the registration process with the HCC Enrollment Office contact: Brenda Jones. Refer to contact information below.   Although students may be eligible for many courses, all courses are not recommended.  SECHS does not provide scheduled academic support for dual credit students during the summer.