POST-SECONDARY ENROLLMENT OPTIONS ACT
The Post‐Secondary Enrollment Options Act allows students to take college level courses as a part of their high school curriculum. This act is intended to promote a more rigorous academic course of study and a wider variety of course options available for eleventh and twelfth grade students.
To be eligible, students must meet the post secondary schools entrance requirements and may not take courses that are comparable to those already offered by the high school district. (For example, if a student wants to take Anthropology at Central College, and it is not offered Pella Community High School, this student may become eligible under this act.) More information is available in the counseling offices.
Enrollment forms must be picked up from the counselors and completed before registration at Central College. Students who are interested in pursuing a Central College course must visit with a counselor at the high school. Paperwork will need to be completed and turned into the counselor by the following deadlines:
Fall courses: May 25th (before school is out for the summer)
Spring courses: December 1st
The Pella Community School Board of Education policy listed below is intended as further explanation of how this Act applies to students in Pella.
Code No. 604.6
DMACC CAREER ACADEMY ONLINE COURSES
https://dmacc.edu/careeradvantage/pages/pella.aspx
Students in grades eleven and twelve may enroll in a post-secondary educational institution for academic or vocational-technical credits on a case-by-case basis. Students who intend to enroll in a post-secondary educational institution shall notify the school district during the course scheduling process prior to each semester. Students may attend courses at a post-secondary educational institution only after the school district certifies that the student is eligible to attend under this policy.
Student who are interested in pursuing an online DMACC course must visit with a counselor at the high school. Paperwork will need to be completed and turned into the counselor by the following deadlines:
Fall courses: May 25th (before school is out for the summer)
Spring courses: November 23rd (before Thanksgiving break)
INSTRUCTION AT A POST-SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
Students in grades nine through twelve may receive academic or vocational‐technical credits that count toward the graduation requirements set out by the board for courses successfully completed in post‐secondary educational institutions. The student may receive academic or vocational‐technical credits through an agreement between a post-secondary educational institution or with the board's approval on a case‐by‐case basis.
Students in grades nine through twelve who successfully complete courses in post‐secondary educational institutions under an agreement between the school district and the post‐secondary educational institution shall receive academic and vocational‐technical credits in accordance with the agreement.
Students in grades eleven and twelve may enroll in a post‐secondary educational institution for academic or vocational technical credits with the board's approval on a case‐by‐case basis. Students who intend to enroll in a post‐secondary educational institution shall notify the school district during the course scheduling process prior to each semester. Students may attend courses at a post‐secondary educational institution only after the school district certifies that the student is eligible to attend under this policy.
Students in grades eleven and twelve who are not enrolled full‐time in the school district shall receive academic or vocational‐technical credit toward the graduation requirements set out by the board for successful completion of courses at a post‐secondary educational institution. Successful completion of the course shall be determined by the post‐secondary educational institution. A student attending credit‐bearing courses in a high school for the available hours of instruction is a full‐time student. The board shall have complete discretion to determine the academic or vocational‐technical credit to be awarded to the student.
Students who have completed the eleventh grade but who have not completed the graduation requirements set out by the board may take up to seven semester hours of credit at a post‐secondary educational institution during the summer months when school is not in session. Upon successful completion of these summer courses, the students shall receive academic or vocational‐technical credit toward the graduation requirements set out by the board. Successful completion of the course shall be determined by the post‐secondary educational institution. The board shall have complete discretion to determine the academic credit to be awarded to the student for the summer courses.
The following factors shall be considered in the board's determination of whether a student will receive academic or vocational‐technical credit toward the graduation requirements set out by the board for a course at a post‐secondary educational institution:
the course is taken from a public or accredited private post‐secondary educational institution;
a comparable course is not offered in the school district. A comparable course is one in which the subject matter or the purposes and objectives of the course are similar, in the judgment of the board, to a course offered in the school district;
the course is in the discipline areas of mathematics, science, social sciences, humanities, vocational‐technical education, or a course offered in the community college career options program;
the course is a credit‐bearing course that leads to a degree;
the course is not religious or sectarian; and
the course meets any other requirements set out by the board.
Students in grades eleven and twelve who take courses, other than courses taken under an agreement between the school district and the post‐secondary educational institution, shall be responsible for transportation without reimbursement to and from the location where the course is being offered.
Students who fail the course and fail to receive credit shall reimburse the school district for all costs directly related to the course. Prior to registering for the course, students under age eighteen shall have a parent sign a form indicating that the parent is responsible for the costs of the course should the student fail the course and fail to receive credit for the course. Students who fail the course and fail to receive credit for the course for reasons beyond their control, including, but not limited to, the student's incapacity, death in the family or a move to another district, may not be responsible for the costs of the course. The school board may waive reimbursement of costs to the school district for the previously listed reasons. Students dissatisfied with a school board's decision shall appeal to the AEA for a waiver of reimbursement.
The superintendent shall be responsible for annually notifying students and parents of the opportunity to take courses at post‐secondary educational institutions in accordance with this policy. The superintendent shall also be responsible for developing the appropriate forms and procedures for implementing this policy.
APPROVED BY BOARD OF EDUCATION OCTOBER 2014