H.F. 399 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 261I.1 Statewide course numbering 1 system. 2 1. For purposes of this section: 3 a. “Accredited private institution” means the same as 4 defined in section 261.9. 5 b. “Community college” means the same as defined in section 6 260C.2. 7 c. “Department” means the department of education. 8 d. “Public postsecondary educational institution” means 9 a community college established under chapter 260C or an 10 institution of higher learning governed by the state board of 11 regents. 12 2. Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general 13 assembly for this purpose, the state board of regents and 14 the department, in cooperation with the Iowa association 15 of independent colleges and universities and the boards 16 of directors of the community colleges, shall develop, 17 coordinate, and maintain a statewide course numbering system 18 for postsecondary and concurrent enrollment education in school 19 districts, accredited nonpublic schools, public postsecondary 20 educational institutions, and accredited private institutions, 21 that will improve program planning, increase communication 22 among all delivery systems, and facilitate student acceleration 23 and the transfer of students and credits between school 24 districts, accredited nonpublic schools, public postsecondary 25 educational institutions, and accredited private institutions. 26 The continuing maintenance of the system shall be accomplished 27 with the assistance of appropriate faculty committees 28 representing the participating postsecondary institutions. 29 However, the state board of regents shall be principally 30 responsibility for maintaining the system. 31 3. The state board of regents, the director of the 32 department in collaboration with the community colleges, and 33 the Iowa association of independent colleges and universities 34 shall appoint faculty committees representing faculties of 35 -1- LSB 2198YH (4) 89 kh/jh 1/ 7

H.F. 399 public postsecondary educational institutions and accredited 1 private institutions to an ongoing statewide course numbering 2 system faculty task force that shall recommend a single level 3 for each course, including postsecondary career education 4 courses, included in the statewide course numbering system, and 5 shall meet at least annually to review the statewide course 6 numbering system. 7 a. Any course designated as an upper-division-level 8 course must be characterized by a need for advanced academic 9 preparation and skills that a student would be unlikely to 10 achieve without significant prior coursework. 11 b. A course that is offered as part of an associate in 12 science degree program and as an upper-division course for a 13 baccalaureate degree shall be designated for both the lower and 14 upper division. 15 c. A course designated as a lower-division course may be 16 offered by any public postsecondary educational institution and 17 any accredited private institution. 18 4. The state board of regents, the department, the board of 19 directors of the community colleges, and the accredited private 20 institutions shall approve the levels for the courses. 21 5. The statewide course numbering system shall include the 22 courses at the recommended levels. 23 6. The registration process at each public postsecondary 24 educational institution and each accredited private institution 25 shall include the courses at their designated levels and 26 statewide course numbers. 27 7. All public postsecondary educational institutions 28 and all accredited private institutions shall participate 29 in the statewide course numbering system, shall bear the 30 costs associated with inclusion in the system, and shall meet 31 the terms and conditions for institutional participation 32 in the system. The state board of regents and the state 33 board of education, in cooperation with the Iowa association 34 of independent colleges and universities and the board of 35 -2- LSB 2198YH (4) 89 kh/jh 2/ 7

H.F. 399 directors of the community colleges, shall adopt a fee schedule 1 that includes the expenses incurred through data processing, 2 faculty task force travel and per diem, and staff and clerical 3 support time. Such fee schedule may differentiate between the 4 costs associated with initial course inclusion in the system 5 and costs associated with subsequent course maintenance in the 6 system. 7 8. Decisions regarding initial course inclusion and 8 subsequent course maintenance must be made within one year 9 after submission of the required materials and fees by the 10 institution. The state board of regents may select a date by 11 which participating postsecondary institutions must submit 12 requests for new courses to be included, and may delay review 13 of courses submitted after that date until the next year’s 14 cycle. 15 9. Any student who transfers among postsecondary 16 institutions participating in the statewide course numbering 17 system shall be awarded credit by the receiving institution 18 for courses satisfactorily completed by the student at the 19 previous institutions. Credit shall be awarded if the courses 20 are judged by the statewide course numbering system faculty 21 task force to be academically equivalent to courses offered at 22 the receiving institution, including equivalency of faculty 23 credentials, regardless of the public or private control of 24 the previous institution. The state board of regents and 25 the department, and participating private institutions as 26 appropriate, shall ensure that credits to be accepted by a 27 receiving institution are generated in courses for which the 28 faculty possess credentials that are comparable to those 29 required by the accrediting association of the receiving 30 institution. The award of credit may be limited to courses 31 that are entered in the statewide course numbering system. 32 Credits awarded pursuant to this subsection shall satisfy 33 institutional requirements on the same basis as credits awarded 34 under the participating postsecondary institution’s current 35 -3- LSB 2198YH (4) 89 kh/jh 3/ 7

H.F. 399 course catalog. 1 10. The state board of regents and the state board of 2 education shall each adopt rules under chapter 17A for purposes 3 of administering this section. The rules adopted by the 4 state board of regents shall, at a minimum, provide for the 5 following: 6 a. Regularly scheduled purges of courses that are listed in 7 the statewide course numbering system but have not been taught 8 at a participating postsecondary institution for the preceding 9 five years. 10 b. Waiver provisions that allow course continuation if 11 an institution has reasonable cause for having not offered a 12 course within the five-year limit and an expectation that the 13 course will be offered again within the following five years. 14 11. A statewide course numbering system fund is created 15 in the state treasury under the control of the state board of 16 regents. The fund shall consist of any moneys appropriated by 17 the general assembly for purposes of this section and all fees 18 deposited into the fund pursuant to this section. Moneys in 19 the fund are appropriated to the state board of regents for 20 purposes of coordinating and maintaining the statewide course 21 numbering system pursuant to this section. Notwithstanding 22 section 8.33, moneys credited to the statewide course numbering 23 system fund shall not revert at the close of a fiscal year but 24 shall be available for expenditure for the following fiscal 25 year for the purposes of this section. Notwithstanding section 26 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or earnings on moneys deposited 27 in the statewide course numbering system fund shall be credited 28 to the statewide course numbering system fund. 29 EXPLANATION 30 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 31 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 32 This bill, subject to an appropriation of funds by the 33 general assembly for such purpose, requires the state board of 34 regents and the department of education, in cooperation with 35 -4- LSB 2198YH (4) 89 kh/jh 4/ 7

H.F. 399 the Iowa association of independent colleges and universities 1 and the boards of directors of the community colleges, to 2 develop, coordinate, and maintain a statewide course numbering 3 system for postsecondary and concurrent enrollment education 4 in school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, public 5 postsecondary educational institutions, and accredited 6 private institutions, to improve program planning, increase 7 communication among all delivery systems, and facilitate 8 student acceleration and the transfer of students and credits 9 between the schools and postsecondary institutions. 10 The state board of regents is principally responsible 11 for maintaining the system. The state board of regents, the 12 director of the department in collaboration with the community 13 colleges, and the Iowa association of independent colleges 14 and universities are directed to appoint faculty committees 15 representing faculties of public postsecondary educational 16 institutions and accredited private institutions to an ongoing 17 statewide course numbering system faculty task force charged 18 with recommending a single level for each course, including 19 postsecondary career education courses, included in the 20 statewide course numbering system. The task force must meet at 21 least annually to review the system. 22 The bill describes what characterizes an upper or lower 23 level course and requires that the regents, the state board of 24 education, the community colleges, and the accredited private 25 institutions approve the levels for the courses. The system 26 shall include the courses at the recommended levels. 27 The registration process at each public postsecondary 28 educational institution and each accredited private institution 29 shall include the courses at their designated levels and 30 statewide course numbers. 31 Accredited private institutions shall participate in the 32 system, bear the associated costs, and meet the terms and 33 conditions for institutional participation in the system. 34 The state board of regents and the state board of education, 35 -5- LSB 2198YH (4) 89 kh/jh 5/ 7

H.F. 399 in cooperation with the Iowa association of private colleges 1 and universities and the board of directors of the community 2 colleges, must adopt a fee schedule that includes the expenses 3 incurred through data processing, faculty task force travel 4 and per diem, and staff and clerical support time, and 5 differentiates between the costs of initial course inclusion 6 and the costs of system maintenance. 7 Decisions regarding initial course inclusion and 8 subsequent course maintenance must be made within one year 9 after submission of the required materials and fees by the 10 institution. 11 The state board of regents may select a date by which new 12 courses must be submitted and may delay review of courses 13 submitted after that date. 14 Any student who transfers among institutions participating 15 in the system must be awarded credit by the receiving 16 institution for courses satisfactorily completed at the 17 previous institutions. Credit must be awarded if the courses 18 are judged by the task force to be academically equivalent, 19 including equivalency of faculty credentials, regardless of 20 the public or private control of the previous postsecondary 21 educational institution. The award of credit may be limited to 22 courses that are entered in the system. Credits awarded shall 23 satisfy institutional requirements on the same basis as credits 24 awarded under the participating postsecondary educational 25 institution’s current course catalog. 26 The state board of regents and the state board of education 27 shall each adopt rules for purposes of administering the 28 statutory provisions relating to the system. The regents’ 29 rules shall provide for the conduct of regularly scheduled 30 course purges and must include waiver provisions that allow 31 course continuation if a participating institution has 32 reasonable cause for having not offered a course in five years 33 and an expectation that the course will be offered again within 34 the following five years. 35 -6- LSB 2198YH (4) 89 kh/jh 6/ 7

H.F. 399 A statewide course numbering system fund is created in 1 the state treasury under the control of the state board of 2 regents. The fund consists of any moneys appropriated by the 3 general assembly for the system and all fees deposited into 4 the fund. Moneys in the fund are appropriated to the state 5 board of regents for purposes of coordinating and maintaining 6 the system. Moneys remaining in the fund do not revert at the 7 close of a fiscal year but are available for expenditure for 8 the following fiscal year. Interest or earnings on moneys 9 deposited in the fund are credited to the fund. 10 -7- LSB 2198YH (4) 89 kh/jh 7/ 7