Dual Credit
Dual-credit programs allow students to earn high school and college credit simultaneously. In some courses, both Advanced Placement (AP) classes and Cornerstone classes will be taught concurrently.
Bellarmine provides opportunities for students to earn college credit through Central Washington University's Cornerstone Program (College in the High School). Similar to the Running Start model, the designated courses use an approved CWU syllabus and curriculum and are taught by Bellamine teachers who have qualified as CWU lectures. Enrolled students become CWU students of record and receive college credit; grades received in dual credit courses are recorded by the university, and thus become part of the students' future college transcript.
Credits earned through CWU are widely recognized by most colleges and universities, both public and private, in and out of Washington State, and creates a variety of options in academic program planning, including opportunities for acceleration, reducing requirements, and taking additional courses toward major or minor areas of concentration. Bellarmine does not guarantee the transferability of credits to the colleges they are most interested in attending. Course billing is managed directly through Central Washington University.
Advanced Placement (AP)
AP courses are rigorous, college-level classes in a variety of subjects that give students an opportunity to gain the skills and experience colleges recognize. Your AP score shows how well you did on the AP Exam. It's also a measure of your achievement in your college-level AP course. This score will be used by colleges and universities to determine if they will grant you credit for what you've already learned, or allow you to skip the equivalent course once you get to college (this is known as advanced placement). Students enrolled in an AP course, even a dual credit course, are expected to sit for the AP exam offered in the spring.