“College- and career-ready means the acquisition of the knowledge and skills a student needs to enroll and succeed in credit-bearing first-year courses at a postsecondary institution without the need for remediation.”
Source:
Iowa Department of Education. (2012). ESEA flexibility request: Iowa. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/eseaflex/ia.pdf
- Student achievement status on state tests
- Student growth on state tests
- Attendance rate
- Four-year graduation rate
- Additional graduation rates (five or more years)
- Staff retention
Dual Enrollment and Articulation
Iowa allows students to earn dual credit in academic and/or CTE dual-enrollment courses through Senior Year Plus, dual-enrollment, and articulated courses at their high school, postsecondary institution, or online (e.g., Iowa Communications Network [ICN]). Public postsecondary institutions are not required to accept these credits (Education Commission of the States, 2015).
Early College High School
The Gateway to College National Network partnered with an institution of higher education to provide one Early College High School as part of the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI). More information about schools participating in ECHSI is available at the ECHSI website (Jobs for the Future, n.d.).
Citations: Jobs for the Future. (n.d.). Schools. Retrieved from http://www.jff.org/initiatives/early-college-designs/schools
National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium. (2013). Iowa [Interactive map of state career technical education profiles]. Retrieved from http://www.careertech.org/Iowa
Education Commission of the States. (2015). Dual enrollment – all state profiles. Retrieved from http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofallRT?Rep=DE14A
Iowa organizes its secondary CTE programs into six service areas:
- Agricultural
- Business
- Family and Consumer Sciences
- Health Science
- Marketing
- Industrial Technology
Within these areas, Iowa implements programs of study aligned with all 16 Career Clusters ((National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium, n.d.).
Citations: National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (n.d.). Iowa [Interactive map of state CTE profiles]. Retrieved from http://careertech.org/Iowa
In 2008, Iowa mandated that all students in Grades 8–12 have an 8th Grade Plan (U.S. Department of Labor, 2013). The 8th Grade Plan is an electronic portfolio that incorporates assessments and surveys, career research, course plan building, education linkages, and financial aid and career development activities. Students can revise their career and educational plans as their interests and goals develop (Iowa Department of Education, n.d.).
Citations:
U.S. Department of Labor. (2013). Individualized learning plans across the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/odep/ilp/map/
Iowa Department of Education. (n.d.). Student Curriculum (8th Grade) Plan. Retrieved from https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/learner-supports/student-curriculum-8th-grade-plan
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High School and College Alignment |
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|
Subject |
High School Graduation Requirements |
College Admission Requirements |
|
English Credits: |
4.0 |
4.0 |
|
Mathematics Credits: |
3.0 |
3.0 (Algebra I, geometry, and Algebra II) |
|
Social Studies Credits: |
3.0 (including United States history and Iowa government) |
2.0 |
|
Science Credits: |
3.0 (including physical science) |
3.0 (including two from among biology, chemistry, and physics) |
|
Foreign Language Credits: |
None specified (N/S) |
N/S |
|
Arts Credits: |
N/S |
N/S |
|
Additional Credits: |
N/S |
N/S |
|
Total Credits: |
N/S |
N/S |
|
Tests: |
N/S |
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or ACT® |
|
Source: |
|
|
|
Notes: |
The Iowa Department of Education provides broad parameters for student graduation and requires districts to establish more detailed graduation requirements that include the types of courses and number of credits. |
|
The Iowa Administrative Code 12.5 states that each school district shall include in its comprehensive school improvement plan the following provisions for meeting the needs of at-risk students:
- Valid and systematic procedures and criteria to identify at-risk students throughout the school district's school-age population
- Determination of appropriate ongoing education strategies for alternative options education programs
- Review and evaluation of the effectiveness of provisions for at-risk students
The level at which Early Warning System data are reported and who can access the data is not publicly available.
Citation:
Iowa Department of Education. (2015). At risk. Retrieved from https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/learner-supports/risk
