Iowa Code § 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 256.146, subsection 16, 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 incorporate the programming data into the annual condition of community colleges report described in section 256.7, subsection 23, paragraph “c”. 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; 2025 Acts, ch 145, §3 Referred to in §257.11, 261E.2, 261E.8 Subsection 3, paragraph j amended