For Families

Your student is entering a world that requires more skills and knowledge than ever before. Bridge to College transition courses can help your student get on the path to succeed in college and career.

Who’s eligible?

Bridge to College transition courses are designed to be useful learning experiences for any senior student interested in attending college who’d like to improve their college readiness skills while still in high school.  For the math course, students who have taken but not passed Algebra 2 OR who passed but may have struggled with some of the material would be most likely to benefit from the Bridge to College course.

For more information about the ideal student profile for the courses, see question 11 on the FAQ list.

How it works

Bridge to College transition courses are full-credit, one-year courses taught at high schools during the school day. The courses give high school seniors a unique learning opportunity that can effectively prepare them for success in college-level work. Students who earn a B grade or above in Bridge to College courses will be considered college-ready and eligible to enroll in college level math and English courses at all participating Washington higher education institutions (currently the state’s 34 community and technical colleges and Eastern Washington University).

Want Bridge to College transition courses in your student’s school?

Contact your student’s guidance counselor to find out if the school offers the courses.

OR

Contact your student’s principal and ask them to offer this opportunity to students.

Did You Know?

If your student has to take pre-college courses once they’re enrolled in college, they won’t be earning transferable credits. These courses take time and cost money—and do not count toward college graduation.

Students who enroll in college-level math immediately upon entering college are far more likely to earn a college degree than students who need to take pre-college courses first.

How to Use Your Bridge to College Class for College Placement

As you are successfully completing a Bridge to College course during your senior year, you are eligible for automatic placement into college-level courses in math or English at one of Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges (or Eastern Washington University, IF you are admitted to the university). [NOTE: Due to pandemic-related school closures and disruptions of grading practices, the automatic placement for Bridge to College Math only has been suspended for the graduating Classes of 2020 and 2021. Colleges are being strongly encouraged to honor the agreement based on overall transcript reviews but it is a local decision for now.]

In order to qualify for the automatic placement, you must:

• Complete a Bridge to College course with a final grade of “B” or better, and
• Enroll in college in the academic year immediately following high school graduation.

Please note that colleges handle the admissions and placement process, including honoring this placement agreement, in different ways. It is your responsibility to follow whatever procedure the college has defined to submit valid score information for placement. Also, if you wish to enroll in a course different from what the agreement allows, you may be required to provide additional transcript information or take a placement test.

To take advantage of this direct placement opportunity, be prepared to provide a copy of  your high school transcript after you are admitted to one of the participating higher education institutions noted above.

For more information about the placement agreement, see http://www.sbctc.edu/about/agency/initiatives-projects/bridge-to-college.aspx

Ready Washington is a coalition that supports college- and career- ready learning standards and assessments. This is a good resource for parents and students to learn more about the Smarter Balanced Assessments, learning standards and other resources.