Early College

Early college programs allow high school students to engage in college-level academic work at a local college campus, gain valuable college-preparatory experience, and earn college credit while still in high school. Generally, tuition costs are waived for one course per semester; students are expected to purchase required books and pay non-tuition fees. Each program has different academic eligibility requirements. See your school counselor for more information. College course credit can be used to meet elective credit requirements toward graduation according to the following guidelines:

College or university credits to be applied toward high school graduation must be planned with a high school guidance counselor and receive approval of the principal prior to the first meeting of the college course.

Both 3- and 4-credit college courses will be counted as one Unit of Proficiency, or two Deering credits.

Students must provide their school counselor with a copy of their final grade report. Grades awarded by the college will appear on a student’s high school transcripts, but will not be calculated into the grade point average.

Students choosing this option must recognize that this option could lower their class standing.

Early Graduation

If you desire to accelerate your high school program to graduate upon completion of less than four years at Deering High School, you must have the plan approved by your school counselor and principal at the earliest possible date. The number of credits approved from other institutions, summer school, and independent study are limited and require prior approval if you wish to count them toward graduation.

Your planning must include a conference for you and your guardian with your school counselor and the principal. Written approval from your parents endorsing the plan leading to early graduation is required. It is also required that students wishing to graduate early demonstrate their college readiness, for example, by passing the Accuplacer test.

Students graduating early are welcome to participate in the senior prom and all school sponsored graduation ceremonies.

STEM Endorsement

To earn a STEM Endorsement, students must:

1. Complete a minimum of 20 credits in STEM courses;
2. Show competency in Pre-Calculus concepts (minimum);
3. Earn credit in at least one STEM college course or STEM AP course;
4. Demonstrate substantial commitment and excellence in STEM learning beyond our STEM courses. This commitment can be achieved with at least 50 hours of STEM learning in at least 2 of the 3 categories below

• Complete a STEM-related internship (min. 10 hours)
• Complete at least 30 hours of approved ELOs (Expanded Learning Opportunities):
  • STEM clubs & teams
  • PPS summer intensives
  • Professional Talks & Presentations
  • Other STEM Programming
• Complete a Senior STEM-related Capstone Project (min. 20 hours)

At the end of Junior year, to be officially “on track” for the STEM Endorsement and to be able to report this out to College Admissions, students must have earned at least 16 STEM credits and 30 hours of additional STEM learning.

Seal of Biliteracy

The Seal of Biliteracy is formal recognition of a student’s proficiency in English and another language, and can be used to earn college credit at UMaine schools, as well as used to demonstrate language proficiency to potential employers.

To receive the Seal upon graduation, students must:

• Demonstrate proficiency in another language by taking a nationally recognized exam, AAPPL or AVANT
• Complete a Global Competence Reflection (Short Essay)
• Demonstrate proficiency in English (complete high school English graduation requirements)