Prospective Students FAQs

Once priority registration begins, you must log in to your MyCoast portal to register for classes.  Watch "How to Register" video for step-by-step directions.

Not necessarily. There are many differences. High School Special Education programs are legally required to provide whatever service, accommodation, or modification that is needed to be successful. Colleges, on the other hand, are required by law to provide “equal access” to education. Access is provided through reasonable accommodations. Furthermore, the college course curriculum cannot be modified to alter the fundamental nature of the course.

Each student must complete an Intake appointment with an ARC Counselor to establish eligible services with ARC. Academic Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case individualized basis according to the student’s verified disability. Examples of accommodations our program may authorize include extra testing time, copy of lecture notes, alternate media conversion (book to an audiobook), short breaks during class, etc.

It depends. If a student has a learning disability, then they are encouraged to bring a copy of the most-recent full psycho-educational assessment report that includes testing scores from their high school evaluation. For medical, psychological, and other health-related disabilities (including ADHD), the IEP or 504 plan should specifically state the disability diagnosis. We encourage students to have their Licensed Certified Professional (e.g., M.D., Psychologist, Psychiatrist) to complete our disability verification form to have the most-recent documentation on file.

This letter is created by your ARC Counselor upon completion of your ARC Intake appointment. The ARC Accommodation Letter must be provided to your instructor(s) at the beginning of each semester if you intend to use your accommodations for their class.

No. However, if the student requires accommodations, then they must disclose this information to the ARC program. Whether or not the student requires immediate accommodations, it is highly recommended that students with disabilities register for services with the ARC department before the start of each semester. This may reduce the wait time when they do find that they need accommodations for a certain class.

The length of time to earn a degree or certificate depends on many factors. These may include if pre-collegiate classes are needed first, whether the student passes attempted classes, how many courses are required for the certificate, major, or degree, whether the student attends part-time or full-time, transfer major requirements, and other factors. ARC counselors work with each student, so he/she is neither overloaded (making success difficult) nor taking too few classes (extending the time to finish unnecessarily). Only a few students entering high school complete a degree or are transfer-ready in four semesters. Many require three or more years. You may work with your ARC Counselor during your second semester to develop a semester-by-semester “comprehensive educational plan” that incorporates all course/unit requirements for your specific academic goal.

No. All California Community Colleges have a disability services department (usually named “DSPS”) instead of a special education program. However, the college offers credit, remedial classes, and academic support through the ARC Learning Center & Adapted Kinesiology program. These classes may not count toward graduation. There is also assistance in the Student Success Center (SSC) for students who have lower basic writing and math skills.

It means speaking up for yourself and communicating your needs to others, such as your ARC Counselor and professors. Part of gaining independence and transitioning to college means becoming a “self-advocate”.

• Students choosing to utilize their pre-approved testing accommodations must first notify their instructor of their accommodations via Accommodation Letter. After your instructor has been notified, it is then the student's responsibility to complete an online Alternate Test Request form to take their exams in the ARC office. All exams must be scheduled at least seven days in advance. We strongly encourage you to schedule all your exams at the beginning of the semester.

• Students choosing to utilize their notetaking accommodation must first notify their instructor of their accommodations via their Accommodation Letter. The student will then discuss with their instructor how they are able to provide or assist them with receiving this accommodation. This is especially important, as the instructor might already provide lecture notes on Canvas, or they can assist DSPS with finding a volunteer notetaker in their class. Once the student has communicated with their instructor, then they must complete an online Alternate Notes Request form. ARC will then email the students in the whole class in search of a volunteer notetaker.

• Once a notetaking volunteer has been secured in your class, ARC will email you a link to access our ARC Notes Google Drive. It is each student's responsibility to notify ARC and/or the ARC Test/Note Taking Coordinator Amy Mendoza at amendoza179@occ.cccd.edu if you have not received notes within 2 weeks of submitting your request form.

Requesting to Test in the ARC Testing Office

1) The ARC student must submit their official ARC Accommodation Letter to their instructor and have a collaborative conversation about the accommodations they plan to utilize in their course.

2) To schedule an ARC testing appointment, the student must submit an online ARC Test-Taking Accommodation Request Form, at least 7 days in advance from the testing date. Students must complete testing within ARC testing hours.

3) Students should remind their instructor of their testing appointment closer to the exam date and are encouraged to schedule their exams for the semester in advance.

Notetaking Assistance: Requesting a Peer Notetaker

1.) The ARC student must submit their official ARC Accommodation Letter to their instructor and have a collaborative conversation about the accommodations they plan to utilize in their course. The student should discuss with the instructor their need for notes and what resources will be accessible to students (ex: lecture recordings, lecture slides, handouts etc.)

2.) If notetaking assistance is still needed, the ARC student must submit an online ARC-Notetaking Assistance Accommodation Request Form. ARC will then initiate a search seeking a Peer Notetaker within the class.

3.) Once a Peer Notetaker and their notes have been secured, a Google-Drive invitation email will be sent to the ARC student’s email providing electronic access to the notes for the semester.

4.) If you have not received access to notes within 2 weeks of submitting the request form, it is a student responsibility to notify the ARC Notes office by emailing ARCnotes@cccd.edu

The ARC program recommends that you meet with your ARC Counselor at least 1x per semester - at minimum. It is very common for students to have more than 1 counseling meeting per semester. ARC students may need to update their educational plan, obtain referrals for tutoring, develop class-schedules, discuss accommodations, consult about career decision-making & career/major exploration, etc. ARC students can schedule a counseling appointment by calling the ARC front office at (714) 432-5807.

It is the student's responsibility to try to ascertain why they are not doing well, usually by analyzing their own work or talking with the professor. It is hoped students who receive D's or F's early in the term will immediately attempt to figure out why, and if necessary, meet with their ARC counselor for further discussion and intervention. Tutors may be available through the Student Success Center, different accommodations may be appropriate, or the material may be too advanced for the student, in which case the class may need to be dropped, and a more basic class attempted the next semester.cc.cccd.edu if you have not received notes within 2 weeks of submitting your request form.

Chromebooks and/or Hotspots (Wi-Fi) are available through the OCC Library. All students - regardless of unit count or full-time/part-time status - are entitled to a technology loan if they do not have access to a computer or Internet services, while supplies last.

Yes. First, students should make an appointment with an ARC Counselor for an informational meeting to discuss their learning difficulties. If recommended by a counselor, the next, student will be referred to meet with a Learning Disability Specialist.