This section authorizes public postsecondary institutions and LEAs to jointly create cooperative innovative programs, and it requires those programs to meet specified education and accountability goals.
The purpose of this chapter is to authorize public postsecondary institutions and LEAs to jointly establish cooperative innovative programs in high schools and public postsecondary institutions, including, but not limited to, universities, community colleges and colleges of applied technology, that will expand students' opportunities for educational success through high quality instructional programming. These cooperative innovative high school programs shall target: High school students who are at risk of dropping out of school before attaining a high school diploma; or High school students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction. All cooperative innovative high school programs established under this chapter shall: Prepare students adequately for future learning in the workforce or in an institution of higher education; Expand students' educational opportunities within the public school system; Be centered on the core academic standards represented by the preparatory pathway as defined by the state board of education that will adequately prepare the student to enter postsecondary education or the workplace without academic remediation; Encourage the cooperative or shared use of resources, personnel and facilities between public schools and postsecondary institutions; Integrate and emphasize both academic and technical skills necessary for students to be successful in a more demanding and changing workplace; Emphasize parental involvement and provide consistent counseling, advising and parent conferencing at the secondary level so that parents and students can make responsible decisions regarding course taking and can track the students' academic progress and success; Be held accountable for meeting measurable student achievement results as established by the state board of education, the University of Tennessee system, and the Tennessee board of regents; Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods; Establish joint institutional responsibility and accountability for support of students and their success; Effectively utilize existing funding sources for high school, college, university and career and technical programs and actively pursue new funding from other sources; Develop methods for early identification of potential participating students in the middle grades through high school; and Reduce the percentage of students needing remedial courses upon their initial entry from high school into a postsecondary institution. Programs developed under this chapter that target students who are at risk of dropping out of high school before attaining a high school diploma shall: Provide these students with the opportunity to graduate from high school possessing the core academic skills needed for postsecondary education and high-skilled employment; Enable students to complete a technical or academic program in a field that is in high demand and has high wages; Set and achieve goals that significantly reduce dropout rates and raise high school and college retention, certification and degree completion rates; and Enable students who complete these programs to pass employer exams, if applicable. Cooperative innovative high school programs that offer accelerated learning programs shall: Provide a flexible, customized program of instruction for students who would benefit from accelerated, higher level coursework or early graduation from high school; Enable students to obtain a high school diploma in less than four (4) years, to begin or complete an associate degree program, to master a certificate or diploma in a career or technical program or to earn up to two (2) years of postsecondary credit; and Offer a college preparatory academic core and in-depth studies in a career or technical field that will lead to advanced programs or employment opportunities in engineering, health sciences or teaching. Cooperative innovative high school programs may include, but shall not be limited to, the creation of a school within a school, a technical high school or a high school or technical center located on the campus of a postsecondary institution. Students shall be eligible to attend these programs as early as the ninth grade.