Iowa Department of Education

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• Information for Schools
• Participation Form
• Courses Available Online
• Information for Students and Parents

Information for Schools

AP^® courses are a good way for high school students to access challenging coursework and have the option to gain early credits for college.

AP courses are college-level studies available to high school students, most often in their junior or senior years. Students choose among 37 classes in 22 subject areas, with an optional final exam at the completion of the course.

Iowa students took a total of 9,833 final exams, compared to 8,986 the prior year, and 69.8 percent of them scored 3 or higher; 5 is the highest possible score. Nationally, 59.6 percent of students scored 3 or higher. Many colleges grant credit or advanced placement to students with high AP exam scores.

Complete information about AP courses is available at the CollegBoard AP Central website .

Participation Form

If you are considering joining the AP Program this year or are expanding your present AP offerings and would like information on obtaining the AP Order Form, please call AP Services toll free at 877-274-6474 or at 609-771-7300 outside the U.S. and Canada, or write to:

Advanced Placement Program
P.O Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671

Courses Available Online

Schools that are not able to offer AP classes on-site can still offer them through the Iowa Online AP Academy. The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) has been established to deliver Advanced Placement (AP) courses to high school students across the State of Iowa using Apex Learning online technology and the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). AP gives students an opportunity to take college-level courses and exams while still in high school. The focus of IOAPA is on accredited rural and small schools in Iowa.

The Iowa Online AP Academy also offers training programs for teachers to gain the necessary skills and information to teach AP classes onsite. Tuition assistance is available.

Information for Students and Parents

AP^® courses are college-level studies available to high school students, most often in their junior or senior years. Students choose among 37 classes in 22 subject areas, with an optional final exam at the completion of the course. AP courses are a good way for high school students to access challenging coursework and have the option to gain early credits for college.

During the 2005-06 school year, 195 of Iowa’s 365 districts offered at least one AP course. About 15,000 students were enrolled in at least one course, and 6,607 of them took at least one of the optional final exams.

Iowa students took a total of 9,833 final exams, and 69.8 percent of them scored 3 or higher; 5 is the highest possible score. Nationally, 59.6 percent of students scored 3 or higher. Many colleges grant credit or advanced placement to students with high AP exam scores.

To find out if your high school offers AP courses, contact your high school principal or district curriculum director.

Schools that are not able to offer AP classes on-site can still offer them through the Iowa Online AP Academy. The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA) has been established to deliver Advanced Placement (AP) courses to high school students across the State of Iowa using Apex Learning online technology and the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). AP gives students an opportunity to take college-level courses and exams while still in high school. The focus of IOAPA is on accredited rural and small schools in Iowa.

Contact:
Rosanne Malek
515-281-3199
rosanne.malek@iowa.gov

Concurrent enrollment provides opportunity for students to earn both high school and college credit through an agreement between the local school district and a community college. The courses are offered to high school students either at their high school or on a college campus.

Concurrently enrolled students shall only be charged fees authorized by Iowa Code. The courses may also have eligibility requirements that are set by the high school and the college.

For information about college credit courses available to high school students in your area, visit the “Information for Students and Parent” link to the upper right, or contact your high school principal or the admissions office of your local community college.

State law authorizing dual credit can be found in Iowa Code section 282.26.

Information for Schools

State law authorizing dual credit can be found in Iowa Code section 282.26.

State law related to supplementary funding for dual credit can be found in Iowa Code section 257.11.

Information for Students and Parents

There is a wide variety in the types of dual credit courses offered by Iowa high schools, depending on how the high school and college have decided to collaborate and package their courses. Many dual credit courses are offered individually, while others are offered as part of a career technical group of courses, or as a "career academy" group of courses.

Prior to enrolling in a dual credit course, students must consult with their resident high school to determine:

• if they are eligible for dual credit courses,
• which courses are available,
• which courses will meet the high school's credit requirements, and
• whether the high school will cover the fees.

The college involved will determine how much college credit is applied to the student's college transcript.

Iowa Community Colleges Offering Concurrent Enrollment

Des Moines Area Community College -- at the Ankeny and other campuses
Eastern Iowa Community College District -- at the Clinton and other campuses
Hawkeye Community College -- Waterloo campus
Indian Hills Community College -- Ottumwa
Iowa Lakes Community College -- at the Estherville and other campuses
Iowa Valley Community College -- at the Marshalltown and other campuses
Iowa Western Community College -- at Council Bluffs
Kirkwood Community College -- at the Cedar Rapids and other campuses
Northeast Iowa Community College -- at the Calmar and other campuses
Northwest Iowa Community College -- Sheldon
North Iowa Area Community College -- at the Mason City and other campuses
Southeastern Community College - All SCC attendence areas and selected high schools in the area
Western Iowa Tech Community College -- at the Sioux City campus

The Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Act, Iowa Code section 261C, was enacted in 1987 to promote rigorous academic pursuits and to provide a wider variety of options to high school students by enabling eleventh and twelfth grade students to enroll part time in nonsectarian courses in eligible postsecondary institutions of higher learning in Iowa. A ninth or tenth grade student who is identified as a gifted and talented student according to the school district's criteria and procedures may now participate under this Act. The specific purposes of this Act are to promote rigorous academic pursuits and provide a wider variety of options for students.

Iowa Law authorizing PSEO is Iowa Code section 261C.

Iowa Administrative Rules Governing PSEO is 281--Iowa Adminstrative Code 22.

2007-2008 PSEO Handbook

Contact:
Tom Cooley
515-242-5132
tom.cooley@iowa.gov

The state of Iowa has accepted an invitation to participate in the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. The program is designed to give young Americans a working knowledge of American political life.

Each year two Iowa students have the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, D.C. The William Randolph Hearst Foundation pays all expenses. In addition, the two Iowa high school representatives each receive a $5,000 scholarship, subject to scholarship conditions and requirements.

Selection of the two Iowa high school representatives is based solely on the outstanding ability and demonstrated leadership qualities of elected junior or senior high school student officers for the 2008-2009 school year.

Each high school may nominate one student. Student application materials are available from the AEAs in August. The completed applications are submitted to each AEA USSYP contact in September. In October nominees take a Qualifying Examination on the constitution and government. The two winners are announced in late October.

For general program information, visit the USSYP website.

AEA USSYP Contacts

Contact:

Cheryl Mullenbach, Consultant
515-494-5610
cheryl.mullenbach@iowa.gov