Tools

Six tools, in the order a plan gets built

Each one runs on its page without an account. Inside My FastTrack the same tool keeps your answers, so the readiness score, the worksheet, and the calculator are there when you book a call or come back next term.

1FirstIs the student ready for one course?
2ThenWhich colleges, and what do they take in transfer?
3ThenThe grid: which courses, in which term
4FinallyWhat the plan is worth, and the questions to ask

Before the first course

Is my teen ready for dual enrollment? A checklist

12 yes-or-no questions about the work, the plan, and the logistics. The reading names the weakest of the three, which is usually the one to fix before registering rather than after.

Open the checklist Keep the score in My FastTrack →

Readiness checklist · The work itself

My teen finishes homework without being chased for it.
They can read a syllabus and tell me what's due next week.
They've handled at least one class where the teacher didn't remind them about deadlines.
They understand that the grade goes on a college transcript and stays there.

3of 4 in this group. Two more groups on the page, then the reading.

The first of three groups. The page scores all twelve and names the weakest area.

Your state's rule

Deadlines, by month

Every date the state pages name, in one calendar, each linked to the page it was read from. Save it and the dates for your state sit on your dashboard as they approach.

Open the calendar Find your state on the map →

The paths, evenly

Dual enrollment, AP, IB, and CLEP, compared

Nine measures side by side, then six situations, each with the path it points to and why. The family picks by where the credit will count.

Open the comparison When AP is the better choice →

Compare · what ends each one

Dual enrollmentEnds inA transcript grade. The credit is earned; the question is how it counts.

APEnds inOne exam in May. The college decides later whether the score earns credit.

IBEnds inExams across a two-year programme plus the core.

CLEPEnds inA single exam on one subject, no course attached.

One of nine rows. The others: who offers it, grades, cost, how credit is awarded, where it transfers best, the risk that follows the student, timing.

The grid

The 30-credit worksheet

Five terms, three rows each, and a transfer check on every course, so the plan is built against the colleges your teen might attend before anyone registers. Thirty transferable credits is one academic year.

Open the worksheet Fill it in My FastTrack and download as Excel →

Worksheet · 11th grade, fall

An example term
Course	College	Credits	Counts for HS	Transfers as
English Composition 1	Community college	3	Yes	Composition
Intro to Psychology	Community college	3	Elective	Social science
Intro to Business	Community college	3	Elective	Elective only
Counting toward the degree		6	of 30 for the year

A course counts when its transfer note says something other than "elective", "no", or "unknown".

What the plan is worth

Dual enrollment ROI calculator

What a year of college is worth in tuition and early earnings, and how many credits have to count toward the degree to reach it. Credits that land as electives save nothing, and the calculator says so.

Open the calculator Keep a result in My FastTrack →

ROI calculator · the defaults

Credits planned in high school credits Share that transfers as requirements %

Requirements done early 1 semester 24 credits that count; every 15 clears a semester of requirements. 6 more would make it 1 year.

Tuition not paid: $5,805
Salary started earlier: $34,340

Tuition, starting salary, and whether the degree can end earlier are set on the calculator page; these are the published averages.

The two meetings

Questions to ask your counselor before signing up

Fifteen questions for the counselor and the college's dual enrollment office, each with the answer that should worry you. Tick them off in the meeting and keep the list.

Open the questions Keep your notes in My FastTrack →

Counselor questions · For the high school counselor

Which colleges does our school already work with for dual enrollment?
Worry if: No specific list. That means you are early, which is fine, but expect to do the legwork yourself.
Which of these courses count toward our graduation requirements, and which are only electives?
Worry if: An answer that doesn't distinguish the two. That distinction decides the whole schedule.
What do you need from us, and by what date, for a course next term?
Worry if: A date that has already passed, or no date at all.

Three of fifteen. The rest cover transcripts, weighting, caps, who pays on a drop, and what the college itself will say.

My FastTrack

The same tools, with memory

Sign in with an email and a one-time code, no password. The dashboard holds your state's deadlines, every page you saved, and each tool with your last answers. Families the firm works with see the roadmap in the same place.

Open My FastTrack What the account holds

The readiness score, kept and re-scored when you change an answer.
The worksheet, editable term by term and downloadable as Excel.
The calculator, with the numbers you set for the college in view.
The questions, ticked off with your notes from the meeting.