CHAPTER 261E
SENIOR YEAR PLUS PROGRAM

Referred to in §11.6, 256.17, 257.6

  
     
261E.1  Senior year plus program.
  1.  A senior year plus program is established to be administered by the department of education to provide Iowa high school students increased access to college credit or advanced placement coursework. The program shall consist of the following elements:
  a.  Advanced placement classes, including on-site, consortium, and online opportunities and courses delivered via the Iowa communications network.
  b.  Community college credit courses offered through written agreements between school districts and community colleges.
  c.  College and university credit courses offered to individual high school students through the postsecondary enrollment options program in accordance with section 261E.6.
  d.  Courses offered through regional and career academies for college credit.
  e.  Internet-based courses offered for college credit.
  2.  The senior year plus programming provided by a school district pursuant to sections 261E.4 and 261E.6 may be available to students on a year-round basis.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §51; 2020 Acts, ch 1107, §7

  
     
261E.2  Definitions.
  As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
  1.  “Concurrent enrollment” means any course offered to students in grades nine through twelve during the regular school year approved by the board of directors of a school district through a contractual agreement between a community college and the school district that meets the provisions of section 257.11, subsection 3. “Concurrent enrollment” also means any course offered to students in grades nine through twelve during the regular school year approved by the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school through a contract with a community college in accordance with section 261E.8, subsection 2, paragraph “b”.
  2.  “Department” means the department of education.
  3.  “Director” means the director of the department of education.
  4.  “Eligible postsecondary institution” means an institution of higher learning under the control of the state board of regents, a community college established under chapter 260C, or an accredited private institution as defined in section 261.9.
  5.  “Institution” means a school district or eligible postsecondary institution delivering the instruction in a given program as authorized by this chapter.
  6.  “School board” means the board of directors of a school district or a collaboration of boards of directors of school districts.
  7.  “State board” means the state board of education.
  8.  “Student” means any individual enrolled in grades nine through twelve in a school district who meets the criteria in section 261E.3, subsection 1. “Student” includes an individual attending an accredited nonpublic school or the Iowa school for the deaf or the Iowa braille and sight saving school for purposes of sections 261E.4 and 261E.6.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §52; 2019 Acts, ch 164, §3, 7; 2020 Acts, ch 1117, §21
Referred to in §85.61

  
     
261E.3  Eligibility.
  1.  Student eligibility.  In order to ensure student readiness for postsecondary coursework, the student shall meet the following criteria:
  a.  The student shall meet the enrollment requirements established by the eligible postsecondary institution providing the course credit.
  b.  The student shall meet or exceed the minimum performance measures on any academic assessments that may be required by the eligible postsecondary institution.
  c.  The student shall have taken the appropriate course prerequisites, if any, prior to enrollment in the eligible postsecondary course, as determined by the eligible postsecondary institution delivering the course.
  d.  The student shall have attained the approval of the school board or its designee and the eligible postsecondary institution to register for the postsecondary course.
  e.  (1)  The student, except as otherwise provided in this paragraph “e”, shall have demonstrated proficiency in reading, mathematics, and science as evidenced by any of the following:
  (a)  Achievement scores on the latest administration of the state assessment for which scores are available and as defined by the department. 
  (b)  If the student is receiving competent private instruction under chapter 299A, by submitting the written recommendation of the licensed practitioner providing supervision to the student in accordance with section 299A.2. Such student may demonstrate proficiency as evidenced by achievement scores on the annual achievement evaluation required under section 299A.4; or may also demonstrate proficiency as evidenced by a selection index, which is the sum of the critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills assessments, of at least one hundred forty-one on the preliminary scholastic aptitude test administered by the college board; a composite score of at least twenty-one on the college readiness assessment administered by ACT, inc.; or a sum of the critical reading and mathematics scores of at least nine hundred ninety on the college readiness assessment administered by the college board.
  (2)  (a)  If a student is not proficient in one or more of the content areas listed in subparagraph (1), the student may demonstrate proficiency through measures of college readiness jointly agreed upon by the school board and the eligible postsecondary institution.
  (b)  The school board may establish alternative but equivalent qualifying performance measures including but not limited to additional administrations of the state assessment, portfolios of student work, student performance rubric, or end-of-course assessments.
  f.  The student shall meet the definition of eligible student under section 261E.6, subsection 6, in order to participate in the postsecondary enrollment options program.
  2.  Teacher and instructor eligibility.
  a.  A teacher or instructor employed to provide instruction under this chapter shall meet the following criteria:
  (1)  The teacher shall be appropriately licensed to teach the subject the institution is employing the teacher to teach and shall meet the standards and requirements set forth which other full-time instructors teaching within the academic department are required to meet and which are approved by the appropriate postsecondary administration.
  (2)  The teacher shall collaborate, as appropriate, with other secondary and postsecondary faculty in the subject area.
  (3)  The district, in collaboration with the teacher or instructor, shall provide ongoing communication about course expectations, including a syllabus that describes the content, teaching strategies, performance measures, and resource materials used in the course, and academic progress to the student and in the case of students of minor age, to the parent or legal guardian of the student.
  (4)  The teacher or instructor shall provide curriculum and instruction that is accepted as college-level work as determined by the institution.
  (5)  The teacher or instructor shall use valid and reliable student assessment measures, to the extent available.
  (6)  If the instruction for any program authorized by this chapter is provided at a school district facility or a neutral site, the teacher or instructor shall have successfully passed a background investigation conducted in accordance with section 272.2, subsection 17, prior to providing such instruction. For purposes of this section, “neutral site” means a facility that is not owned or operated by an institution.
  b.  The teacher or instructor shall be provided with appropriate orientation and training in secondary and postsecondary professional development related to curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, policy implementation, technology, and discipline issues.
  c.  The eligible postsecondary institution shall provide the teacher or instructor with ongoing communication and access to instructional resources and support, and shall encourage the teacher or instructor to participate in the postsecondary institution’s academic departmental activities.
  d.  The teacher or instructor shall receive adequate notification of an assignment to teach a course under this chapter and shall be provided adequate preparation time to ensure that the course is taught at the college level.
  e.  An individual under suspension or revocation of an educational license or statement of professional recognition issued by the board of educational examiners shall not be allowed to provide instruction for any program authorized by this chapter.
  3.  Institutional eligibility.  An institution providing instruction pursuant to this chapter shall meet the following criteria:
  a.  The institution shall ensure that students or in the case of minor students, parents or legal guardians, receive appropriate course orientation and information, including but not limited to a summary of applicable policies and procedures, the establishment of a permanent transcript, policies on dropping courses, a student handbook, information describing student responsibilities, and institutional procedures for academic credit transfer.
  b.  The institution shall ensure that students have access to student support services, including but not limited to tutoring, counseling, advising, library, writing and math labs, and computer labs, and student activities, excluding postsecondary intercollegiate athletics.
  c.  The institution shall ensure that students are properly enrolled in courses that will carry college credit.
  d.  The institution shall ensure that teachers and students receive appropriate orientation and information about the institution’s expectations.
  e.  The institution shall ensure that the courses provided achieve the same learning outcomes as similar courses offered in the subject area and are accepted as college-level work.
  f.  The institution shall review the course on a regular basis for continuous improvement, shall follow up with students in order to use information gained from the students to improve course delivery and content, and shall share data on course progress and outcomes with the collaborative partners involved with the delivery of the programming and with the department, as needed.
  g.  The school district shall certify annually to the department that the course provided to a high school student for postsecondary credit in accordance with this chapter does not supplant a course provided by the school district in which the student is enrolled, except as provided under section 257.11, subsection 3, paragraph “c”.
  h.  The institution shall not require a minimum or a maximum number of postsecondary credits to be earned by a high school student under this chapter.
  i.  The institution shall not place restrictions on participation in senior year plus programming beyond that which is specified in statute or administrative rule.
  j.  All eligible postsecondary institutions providing programming under this chapter shall include the unique student identifier assigned to students while in the kindergarten through grade twelve system as a part of the institution’s student data management system. Eligible postsecondary institutions providing programming under this chapter shall cooperate with the department on data requests related to the programming. All eligible postsecondary institutions providing programming under this chapter shall collect data and report to the department on the proportion of females and minorities enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-oriented educational opportunities provided in accordance with this chapter. The department shall submit the programming data and the department’s findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly annually by January 15.
  k.  The school district shall ensure that the background investigation requirement of subsection 2, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (6), is satisfied. The school district shall pay for the background investigation conducted in accordance with subsection 2, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (6), but may charge the teacher or instructor a fee not to exceed the actual cost charged the school district for the background investigation conducted.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §53; 2011 Acts, ch 132, §14, 106; 2018 Acts, ch 1119, §13; 2021 Acts, ch 18, §1 – 3
Referred to in §257.11, 261E.2, 261E.8

  
     
261E.4  Advanced placement program.
  1.  A school district shall make available advanced placement courses to its resident students through direct instruction on-site, collaboration with another school district, or by using the online Iowa advanced placement academy.
  2.  A school district shall provide descriptions of the advanced placement courses available to students using a course registration handbook.
  3.  A school district shall ensure that advanced placement course teachers or instructors are appropriately licensed by the board of educational examiners in accordance with chapter 272 and meet the minimum certification requirements of the national organization that administers the advanced placement program.
  4.  A school district shall establish prerequisite coursework for each advanced placement course offered and shall describe the prerequisites in the course registration handbook, which shall be provided to every eighth grade student prior to the development of the student’s career and academic plan pursuant to section 279.61.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §54; 2016 Acts, ch 1108, §2, 9
Referred to in §261E.1, 261E.2

     
261E.5  Advanced placement courses — access — examination fee payment.
  1.  A student enrolled in a school district or accredited nonpublic school shall be provided access to advanced placement examinations at a rate of one-half of the cost of the regular examination fee the student or the student’s parents or guardians would normally pay for the examination.
  2.  The board of directors of a school district and the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall ensure that any student enrolled who is interested in taking an advanced placement examination is properly registered for the examination. An accredited nonpublic school shall provide a list of students registered for advanced placement examinations to the school district in which the accredited nonpublic school is located. The school district and the accredited nonpublic school shall also ensure that any student enrolled in the school district or school, as applicable, who is interested in taking an advanced placement examination and qualifies for a reduced fee for the examination is properly registered for the fee reduction. The school district shall provide the college board with a list of all students enrolled in the school district and the accredited nonpublic schools located in the school district who are properly registered for advanced placement examinations administered by the college board.
  3.  From the funds allocated pursuant to section 261E.13, subsection 1, paragraph “d”, the department shall remit amounts to the college board for advanced placement examinations administered by the college board for students enrolled in school districts and accredited nonpublic schools pursuant to subsection 2 and shall distribute an amount per student to a school district submitting a list of students properly registered for the advanced placement examinations pursuant to subsection 2. The remittance rates to the college board and distribution amounts to the school districts in accordance with this subsection for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, are as follows:
  a.  Thirty-eight dollars for each school district or accredited nonpublic school student who does not qualify for fee reduction.
  b.  Twenty-seven dollars for each school district or accredited nonpublic school student who qualifies for fee reduction.
  c.  Eight dollars to the school district for each school district or accredited nonpublic school student who was listed by the school district and who takes an advanced placement examination in accordance with this section.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §55; 2013 Acts, ch 30, §62
Referred to in §261E.13

  
     
261E.6  Postsecondary enrollment options program.
  1.  Program established.  The postsecondary enrollment options program is established to promote rigorous academic or career and technical pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high school students by enabling ninth and tenth grade students who have been identified by the school district as gifted and talented, and eleventh and twelfth grade students, to enroll in eligible courses at an eligible postsecondary institution of higher learning.
  2.  Notification.  The availability and requirements of this program shall be included in each school district’s student registration handbook. Information about the program shall be provided to the student and the student’s parent or guardian prior to the development of the student’s career and academic plan under section 279.61. The school district shall establish a process by which students may indicate interest in and apply for enrollment in the program.
  3.  Authorization.  To participate in this program, an eligible student shall make application to an eligible postsecondary institution to allow the eligible student to enroll for college credit in a nonsectarian course offered at the institution. A comparable course, as defined in rules adopted by the board of directors of the school district consistent with department administrative rule, must not be offered by the school district or accredited nonpublic school the student attends. A course is ineligible for purposes of this section if the school district has a contractual agreement with the eligible postsecondary institution under section 261E.8 that meets the requirements of section 257.11, subsection 3, and the course may be delivered through such an agreement in accordance with section 257.11, subsection 3. If the postsecondary institution accepts an eligible student for enrollment under this section, the institution shall send written notice to the student, the student’s parent or legal guardian in the case of a minor child, and the student’s school district or accredited nonpublic school and the school district in the case of a nonpublic school student, or the Iowa school for the deaf or the Iowa braille and sight saving school. The notice shall list the course, the clock hours the student will be attending the course, and the number of hours of college credit that the eligible student will receive from the eligible postsecondary institution upon successful completion of the course.
  4.  Credits.
  a.  A school district, the Iowa school for the deaf, the Iowa braille and sight saving school, or accredited nonpublic school shall grant high school credit to an eligible student enrolled in a course under this chapter if the eligible student successfully completes the course as determined by the eligible postsecondary institution. The board of directors of the school district, the board of regents for the Iowa school for the deaf and the Iowa braille and sight saving school, or authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall determine the number of high school credits that shall be granted to an eligible student who successfully completes a course. Eligible students may take up to seven semester hours of credit during the summer months when school is not in session and receive credit for that attendance, if the student pays the cost of attendance for those summer credit hours.
  b.  The high school credits granted to an eligible student under this section shall count toward the graduation requirements and subject area requirements of the school district of residence, the Iowa school for the deaf, the Iowa braille and sight saving school, or accredited nonpublic school of the eligible student. Evidence of successful completion of each course and high school credits and college credits received shall be included in the student’s high school transcript.
  5.  Transportation.  The parent or legal guardian of an eligible student who has enrolled in and is attending an eligible postsecondary institution under this chapter shall furnish transportation to and from the postsecondary institution for the student.
  6.  Definition.  For purposes of this section and section 261E.7, unless the context otherwise requires, “eligible student” means a student classified by the board of directors of a school district, by the state board of regents for pupils of the Iowa school for the deaf and the Iowa braille and sight saving school, or by the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school as a ninth or tenth grade student who is identified according to the school district’s gifted and talented criteria and procedures, pursuant to section 257.43, as a gifted and talented child, or an eleventh or twelfth grade student, during the period the student is participating in the postsecondary enrollment options program.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §56; 2016 Acts, ch 1108, §3, 9, 61; 2017 Acts, ch 29, §80; 2020 Acts, ch 1117, §22
Referred to in §256E.8, 256F.4, 257.6, 260C.14, 261E.1, 261E.2, 261E.3, 282.18

  
     
261E.7  Postsecondary enrollment options program payments — claims — reimbursements.
  1.  Not later than June 30 of each year, a school district shall pay a tuition reimbursement amount to a postsecondary institution that has enrolled its resident eligible students under this chapter, unless the eligible student is participating in open enrollment under section 282.18, in which case, the tuition reimbursement amount shall be paid by the receiving district. However, if a child’s residency changes during a school year, the tuition shall be paid by the district in which the child was enrolled as of the date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1, or the district in which the child was counted under section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (6). For students enrolled at the Iowa school for the deaf and the Iowa braille and sight saving school, the state board of regents shall pay a tuition reimbursement amount by June 30 of each year. The amount of tuition reimbursement for each separate course shall equal the lesser of:
  a.  The actual and customary costs of tuition, textbooks, materials, and fees directly related to the course taken by the eligible student.
  b.  Two hundred fifty dollars.
  2.  An eligible postsecondary institution that enrolls an eligible student under this section shall not charge that student for tuition, textbooks, materials, or fees directly related to the course in which the student is enrolled except that the student may be required to purchase equipment that becomes the property of the student. For the purposes of this subsection, equipment shall not include textbooks. However, if the student fails to complete and receive credit for the course, the student is responsible for all district costs directly related to the course as provided in subsection 1 and shall reimburse the school district for its costs. If the student is under eighteen years of age, the student’s parent or legal guardian shall sign the student registration form indicating that the parent or legal guardian is responsible for all costs directly related to the course if the student fails to complete and receive credit for the course. If documentation is submitted to the school district that verifies the student was unable to complete the course for reasons including but not limited to the student’s physical incapacity, a death in the student’s immediate family, or the student’s move to another school district, that verification shall constitute a waiver to the requirement that the student or parent or legal guardian pay the costs of the course to the school district.
  3.  An eligible postsecondary institution shall make pro rata adjustments to tuition reimbursement amounts based upon federal guidelines established pursuant to 20 U.S.C. §1091b.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §57; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §105; 2020 Acts, ch 1117, §23
Referred to in §256E.8, 256F.4, 261E.6, 282.18

  
     
261E.8  District-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program.
  1.  A district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program is established to be administered by the department to promote rigorous academic or career and technical pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high school students to enroll in eligible nonsectarian courses at or through community colleges established under chapter 260C. The program shall be made available to all resident students in grades nine through twelve. Notice of the availability of the program shall be included in a school district’s student registration handbook and the handbook shall identify which courses, if successfully completed, generate college credit under the program. A student and the student’s parent or legal guardian shall also be made aware of this program as a part of the development of the student’s career and academic plan in accordance with section 279.61.
  2.  a.  Students from accredited nonpublic schools and students receiving competent private instruction or independent private instruction under chapter 299A may access the program through the school district in which the accredited nonpublic school or private institution is located.
  b.  (1)  Students from accredited nonpublic schools may also access the program if the accredited nonpublic school in which the students are enrolled meets the requirements of this section and section 257.11, subsection 3, as if the accredited nonpublic school were a school district, and enters into a contract with a community college that meets the requirements of this section and section 257.11, subsection 3, for the provision of academic or career and technical coursework to high school students enrolled in the accredited nonpublic school. However, the accredited nonpublic school need not meet requirements for career and technical education more stringent than the requirements of section 256.11B. A student who wishes to participate in the program must make application to the accredited nonpublic school and the community college in the manner established under subsection 3 and meet the requirements of this section.
  (2)  An accredited nonpublic school that provides units of mathematics, science, and career and technical education under an agreement that meets the requirements of subparagraph (1) shall be deemed to have met the education program requirement for the units of mathematics, science, and career and technical education provided, as applicable, under section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “a”, “d”, or “e”, or section 256.11B.
  (a)  Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly for this purpose, a student enrolled in a unit of coursework provided under this subparagraph shall be counted as if the student was assigned a weighting under section 257.11, subsection 3, paragraph “b”, in determining the amount calculated and paid to a community college under subparagraph (4), if the accredited nonpublic school is accredited under the standards required of a school district pursuant to section 256.11, the number of students enrolled in a class used to meet the unit requirement exceeds five, and the accredited nonpublic school’s total enrollment in grades nine through twelve does not exceed two hundred pupils.
  (b)  A student enrolled in a unit of coursework provided under this subparagraph is not eligible to be counted as if the student was assigned a weighting under section 257.11, subsection 3, paragraph “b”, in determining the amount calculated and paid to a community college under subparagraph (4), if the accredited nonpublic school’s total enrollment in grades nine through twelve exceeds two hundred pupils.
  (3)  A community college that enters into a contract as provided in this paragraph shall submit to the department, during the fall and spring semesters, or the equivalent, a list of the accredited nonpublic school students enrolled for the semester, or the equivalent, who are participating in the program. The community college and the accredited nonpublic school shall verify to the department that the accredited nonpublic school and the coursework provided under this paragraph meet the requirements of this section and section 257.11, subsection 3, and shall provide to the department data and information elements as required under subsection 9 by rule.
  (4)  Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly for this purpose, the department shall calculate, using the state cost per pupil, and pay to a community college for each semester in which a student is concurrently enrolled in the community college in accordance with this paragraph “b” an amount equivalent to the amount a school district would receive if the student was assigned a weighting under section 257.11, subsection 3, paragraph “b”. If the amount appropriated annually for purposes of this paragraph “b” is insufficient to pay to community colleges the full amount for students concurrently enrolled in a community college in accordance with this paragraph “b”, the department shall annually prorate the amount for payments to community colleges for the concurrent enrollment of accredited nonpublic students under this paragraph “b”. A community college shall decrease the amount billed to the accredited nonpublic school by the amount calculated and paid to the community college by the department in accordance with this paragraph.
  3.  A student may make application to a community college and the school district to allow the student to enroll for college credit in a nonsectarian course offered by the community college. A comparable course, as defined in rules adopted by the board of directors of the school district, must not be offered by the school district or accredited nonpublic school which the student attends. The school board shall annually approve courses to be made available for high school credit using locally developed criteria that establishes which courses will provide the student with academic rigor and will prepare the student adequately for transition to a postsecondary institution. If a community college accepts a student for enrollment under this section, the school district, in collaboration with the community college, shall send written notice to the student, the student’s parent or legal guardian in the case of a minor child, and the student’s school district. The notice shall list the course, the clock hours the student will be attending the course, and the number of hours of college credit that the student will receive from the community college upon successful completion of the course.
  4.  A school district shall grant high school credit to a student enrolled in a course under this chapter if the student successfully completes the course as determined by the community college and the course was previously approved by the school board pursuant to subsection 3. The board of directors of the school district shall determine the number of high school credits that shall be granted to a student who successfully completes a course.
  5.  District-to-community college sharing agreements or concurrent enrollment programs that meet the requirements of section 257.11, subsection 3, are eligible for funding under that provision.
  6.  Community colleges shall comply with the data collection requirements of section 260C.14, subsection 21.
  7.  A student enrolled in a career and technical course made available pursuant to subsection 1 is exempt from the proficiency requirements of section 261E.3, subsection 1, paragraph “e”. However, a community college may require a student who applies for enrollment under a district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program to complete an initial assessment administered by the community college receiving the application to determine the applicant’s readiness to enroll in career and technical coursework, and the community college may deny the enrollment.
  8.  Subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly for this purpose, the department shall establish a program to provide additional funds for resident high school pupils enrolled in grades nine through twelve to attend a community college for college-level classes or attend a class taught by a community college-employed instructor through a contractual agreement between a community college and a school district that satisfies the requirements for classes under section 257.11, subsection 3, except that the classes eligible for funding under this program are offered during the summer and outside of the regular school year and are aligned with career pathways leading to postsecondary credentials and high-demand jobs designated by the workforce development board or a community college pursuant to section 84A.1B, subsection 14. A community college shall not charge students tuition for a class offered partially or completely outside of the regular school year under this program.
  9.  The state board, in collaboration with the board of directors of each community college, shall adopt rules that clearly define data and information elements to be collected related to the senior year plus programming, including concurrent enrollment courses. The data elements shall include but not be limited to the following:
  a.  The course title and whether the course supplements, rather than supplants, a school district course.
  b.  An unduplicated enrollment count of eligible students participating in the program.
  c.  The actual costs and revenues generated for concurrent enrollment. An aligned unique student identifier system shall be established by the department for students in kindergarten through grade twelve and community college.
  d.  Degree, certifications, and other qualifications to meet the minimum hiring standards.
  e.  Salary information including regular contracted salary and total salary.
  f.  Credit hours and laboratory contact hours and other data on instructional time.
  g.  Other information comparable to the data regarding teachers collected in the basic education data survey.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §58; 2011 Acts, ch 20, §12; 2012 Acts, ch 1021, §59; 2012 Acts, ch 1119, §38; 2013 Acts, ch 121, §90; 2016 Acts, ch 1108, §4, 9; 2018 Acts, ch 1067, §14, 15; 2019 Acts, ch 164, §8; 2020 Acts, ch 1062, §39; 2020 Acts, ch 1063, §104; 2020 Acts, ch 1117, §24
Referred to in §84A.1B, 261E.2, 261E.6, 261E.10, 261E.11, 709.15

  
     
261E.9  Regional academies.
  1.  a.  A regional academy is a program established by a school district to which multiple school districts send students in grades seven through twelve. A school district establishing a regional academy may collaborate and partner with, enter into an agreement pursuant to chapter 28E with, or enter into a contract with, one or more school districts, area education agencies, community colleges, accredited public and private postsecondary institutions, accredited nonpublic schools, businesses, and private agencies located within or outside of the state.
  b.  The purpose of a regional academy established pursuant to this section shall be to build a culture of innovation for students and community, to diversify educational and economic opportunities by engaging in learning experiences that involve students in complex, real-world projects, and to develop regional or global innovation networks.
  c.  If a school district establishing a regional academy in accordance with this section submits a plan to the department for approval that demonstrates how the regional academy will increase and assess student achievement or increase and assess competency-based learning opportunities for students, the department may waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to school districts except the department shall not waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision relating to requirements applicable to school districts under chapters 11, 21, 22, 216, 216A, 256B, 279, 284, and 285; or relating to contracts with and discharge of teachers and administrators under chapters 20 and 279; or relating to audit requirements under section 256.9, subsection 20, and section 279.29.
  2.  a.  A regional academy shall include in its curriculum advanced level courses.
  b.  A regional academy may include in its curriculum virtual or internet-based coursework and courses delivered via the Iowa communications network, career and technical courses, core curriculum coursework, courses required pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 26, or section 256.11, subsections 4 and 5, and asynchronous learning networks.
  3.  School districts participating in regional academies are eligible for supplementary weighting as provided in section 257.11, subsection 2. The school districts participating in the regional academy shall enter into an agreement on how the funding generated by the supplementary weighting received shall be used and shall submit the agreement to the department for approval.
  4.  Information regarding regional academies shall be provided to a student and the student’s parent or guardian prior to the development of the student’s career and academic plan under section 279.61.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §59; 2011 Acts, ch 132, §15, 29; 2016 Acts, ch 1108, §5, 9

  
     
261E.10  Career academies.
  1.  As used in this section, “career academy” means the same as defined in section 258.6.
  2.  A career academy course may qualify as a concurrent enrollment course if it meets the requirements of section 261E.8.
  3.  The school district providing secondary education under this section shall be eligible for supplementary weighting under section 257.11, subsection 2, and the community college shall be eligible for funds allocated pursuant to section 260C.18A.
  4.  Information regarding career academies shall be provided by the school district to a student and the student’s parent or guardian prior to the development of the student’s career and academic plan under section 279.61.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §60; 2016 Acts, ch 1108, §6, 9, 62
Referred to in §261E.11

  
     
261E.11  Internet-based and Iowa communications network coursework.
  1.  The Iowa communications network may be used to deliver coursework for the programming provided under this chapter subject to an appropriation by the general assembly for that purpose. A school district that provides courses delivered via the Iowa communications network shall receive supplemental funding as provided in section 257.11, subsection 6.
  2.  The programming in this chapter may be delivered via internet-based technologies. An internet-based course may qualify for additional supplemental weighting if it meets the requirements of section 261E.8 or section 261E.10.
  3.  To qualify as a senior year plus course, an internet-based course or course offered through the Iowa communications network must comply with the appropriate provisions of this chapter.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §61; 2021 Acts, ch 80, §143

     
261E.12  Internet-based clearinghouse.
  The department shall develop and make available to secondary and postsecondary students, parents or legal guardians, school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and eligible postsecondary institutions an internet-based clearinghouse of information that allows students to identify participation options within the senior year plus program and transferability between educational systems, subject to an appropriation by the general assembly for this purpose. The internet-based resource shall provide links to other similar resources available through various Iowa postsecondary institution systems. The internet-based resource shall also identify course transferability and articulation between the secondary and postsecondary systems in Iowa and between the various Iowa postsecondary systems.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §62
Referred to in §261E.13

     
261E.13  State program allocation.
  1.  For each fiscal year in which moneys are appropriated by the general assembly for purposes of the senior year plus program, the moneys shall be allocated as follows in the following priority order:
  a.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, and succeeding fiscal years, an amount up to five hundred thousand dollars to the department to implement the internet-based clearinghouse pursuant to section 261E.12.
  b.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, and succeeding fiscal years, an amount up to five hundred thousand dollars to the department for the development of a data management system, including the development of a transcript repository, for senior year plus programming provided under this chapter. The data management system shall include information generated by the provisions of section 279.61, data on courses taken by Iowa’s students, and the transferability of course credit.
  c.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, and succeeding fiscal years, an amount up to four hundred thousand dollars to the department for the development of additional internet-based educational courses that comply with the provisions of this chapter.
  d.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, and succeeding fiscal years, an amount up to five hundred thousand dollars to the department to provide advanced placement course examination fee remittance pursuant to section 261E.5. If the funds appropriated for purposes of section 261E.5 are insufficient to distribute the amounts set out in section 261E.5, subsection 3, to school districts, the department shall prorate the amount distributed to school districts based on the amount appropriated.
  2.  Notwithstanding section 8.33, any moneys remaining unencumbered or unobligated from the moneys allocated under this section shall not revert but shall remain available in the succeeding fiscal year for expenditure for the purposes designated. The department shall annually inform the general assembly of the amount of moneys allocated, but unspent. The provisions of section 8.39 shall not apply to the funds allocated pursuant to this section.
2008 Acts, ch 1181, §63; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §173, 264
Referred to in §261E.5