The Dorchester School District Two Early College Program (ECP) is a unique educational experience that offers students the opportunity to acquire college credits while in high school and earn an associate degree at no cost. The ECP is a dual credit initiative between Dorchester School District Two and Trident Technical College (TTC).
Students who are selected to enroll in ECP need to understand that they are part of a rigorous, adult, collegiate environment. First time freshmen are invited to apply to the program in the fall of their freshman year. Applicants will complete an interview with school staff and take the Trident Technical College placement test, the Accuplacer. Admission selections are made by March and students are notified of decisions by mail. The program requires students to complete a prescribed pathway of courses the first two years, then students choose classes to complete their Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree. Classes are taken each summer in July as well as during their regular school day on their DD2 campus during the school year.
Seniors typically take their ECP classes online or at the TTC campus. Our ECP completers graduate from TTC before their high school graduation. ECP classes count toward high school credit and college credit.
Most TTC classes are weighted 1 point higher than CP classes according to the SC Uniform Grading Policy (UGP) . However, the UGP also states that college courses that are considered to be Orientation or Remedial are calculated with CP weighting on a student’s high school transcript. ECP students are required to complete IDS 109 First Year Experience Seminar as part of the TTC Associate Degree requirements. This course will be calculated with CP weighting for the high school transcript as it is classified as an orientation course.
The DD2 Early College admission is limited to students who reside in Dorchester County and have legal residency in both SC and the United States.
The ECP online application will be made available by November 1 to DD2 high school first time freshmen. A link to access the application will be placed on the district and school websites. Applications must be completed online by the end of November.
ECP Application Timeline:
Step 1:
Complete the online application. The application opens November 1st and closes November 30 at 11:59 PM
Step 2:
Attend interview with the school’s ECP team (usually a counselor and administrator). Students should check their school email for interview information. Interviews take place in December and January.
Step 3:
Take the ACCUPLACER test. Check out the ACCUPLACER Frequently Asked Questions below for more information and free resources. Schools will schedule the ACCUPLACER testing on campus. Students should check their school email for testing information. Testing takes place November-January.
What is ACCUPLACER?
ACCUPLACER is a computerized placement test used by many higher education institutions to assess an incoming student's knowledge in math, reading, and writing. The test helps identify strengths and needs in each subject area.
How Does ACCUPLACER work?
Thanks to ACCUPLACER’s computerized format, the test questions are based on your skill level. Your response to each question determines the difficulty level of the next question, so it’s important to give each question as much thought as you can before selecting your answer. ACCUPLACER tests are untimed, so students can move at a comfortable pace. It is important that students testing give themselves enough time to do their best and complete the test as the results are a key factor in determining courses you can take. Results are available immediately after the test is completed.
How to Prepare for ACCUPLACER?
Take advantage of the study tools and resources offered. Use these tools to become familiar with the types and format of ACCUPLACER test questions. They can help identify the academic areas where focus needs to be given to improve before test time.
Guides to Trident Tech Portal & Desire 2 Learn (D2L)
The Trident Tech Portal is a “one-stop shop” account that includes everything that you need to access while taking dual credit classes through Trident Technical College. You’ll be able to access information such as:
Final grades
Assignments for courses
Tuition bills
Transcripts
Student activities on campus
Emails
And more
LOGGING INTO PORTAL ACCOUNT
A letter will be mailed to you, the student, from the TTC Admissions Office confirming your acceptance and what your next step(s) will be. Also in this letter is your student ID number and your initial log-in information for my.tridenttech.edu. Even if you do not have this letter, you will still be able to access your account.
IF YOU DID NOT RECEIVE A LETTER OR CANNOT LOG IN USING THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN YOUR LETTER, PLEASE CONTACT THE MY.TRIDENTTECH.EDU HELPDESK AT
843.574.6999 OR TTCExpress@tridenttech.edu.
WHAT’S MY EMAIL ADDRESS?
Your TTC email address is your username@my.tridenttech.edu (Ex. susanworks@my.tridenttech.edu)
WHAT’S MY USERNAME?
Your username is your email address. Normally your first name and your last name, all one word, all lower case (Ex: susanworks@my.tridenttech.edu). There are exceptions. If your username is an exception, which means it has up to a five-digit number after your name (Ex: susanworks4572@my.tridenttech.edu), this number was included in the acknowledgement letter you received from the Admissions office after you applied to Trident Technical College. You CANNOT change your username.
WHAT’S MY PASSWORD?
Your password is originally set to 'Aa' plus the last six numbers of your social security number plus '$' (Ex: Aa456789$), with ###### being the last six numbers. You will be required to change this temporary password the first time you log in.
TIP: Register in TTC's my.tridenttech.edu Portal Account Self-Service password reset system to be able to change your own password in the future. You must register in this system to use it. Register now and save yourself time later! Visit the website by clicking the button below to set this up.
NOTIFICATIONS
Notifications about your account will appear on your account homepage under “My Notifications.” There is one notification that you will ALWAYS see as a Dual Credit student:
Please do NOT panic when you see this notification!! It simply means that while you are in the Dual Credit program, you will NOT be able to register, drop, or withdraw yourself from classes online or at the Registrar’s Office. If you want to register, drop, or withdraw from a class, contact your School Counselor. This hold does NOT prevent you from doing anything else on your account.
Other notifications are posted under “My Notifications” if you owe an outstanding balance, library fee, need to submit additional documentation, etc.
VIEWING CLASS SCHEDULE AND TEXTBOOK LIST
Once you have been registered for classes, you will be able to view your class schedule in your account. If you ever need a copy of your schedule for any reason, you will be able to view/print it from your account using the steps below:
Click on TTC Express for Credit Students.
Click on Academic Profile.
Click on My class schedule.
Select the term of the schedule you need
Click Submit.
To view your textbook list, click “Click here for Textbook Info” next to the class(es) listed on your schedule.
CHECKING FINAL GRADES ONLINE At the end of each term or semester, final grades are posted in your account. You will ONLY see the letter grade earned for each class. Numeric grades are sent directly to your high school/home school association by the Registrar’s Office. If you need to know your numeric grade, please contact your instructor or your high school counselor.
To view your final grades:
• Click on TTC Express for Credit Students.
• Click on Academic Profile.
• Click on Grades.
• Select the reporting term for the semester that you’re interested in (example: FAR2023 Reporting Term).
• Click Submit.
REQUESTING A TTC TRANSCRIPT
If you plan to attend another college/university after you graduate from high school, the college coursework you take as a Dual Credit student will need to be submitted to that institution via your college transcript from TTC.
1. To request an official transcript:
Click on TTC Express for Credit Students.
Click on Academic Profile.
Click on Online Transcripts/Enrollment Verification.
Click “here.”
Click Order or track a transcript on the National Student Clearinghouse webpage.
2. Official transcripts are $10.00 per copy and may take some time to process and mail. If you have questions about the transcript request process or want to check on the status of your transcript request, contact the Registrar’s Office at 843-574-6324 or visit the Transcript Request webpage by clicking the button below.
USING D2L
Desire 2 Learn (D2L) is the college's integrated learning platform. You can access your courses, communicate with your instructor and fellow students, submit assignments, take quizzes and tests, and check your grades. YOU DO NOT USE D2L TO VIEW FINAL NUMERIC GRADES.
Click the link under Access My Courses (D2L) on your account homepage.
To view the homepage of your class, click on the course under My Courses in D2L.
2. If you need further assistance, you can view the User Guides to help you navigate through D2L or ask your instructor for help with finding information related to your class. If you’re having issues with D2L, contact the D2L Helpdesk at 843.574.6522 or submit a help request online by clicking the button below:
