15-1821.01. Dual enrollment information

On a determination by a community college district governing board that it is in the best interest of the citizens of a district, the district governing board may authorize district community colleges to offer college courses that may be counted toward both high school and college graduation requirements at the high school during the school day, subject to the following:

1. The community college district governing board and the governing board of the school district or organization of which the high school is a part shall enter into an agreement or contract.  These intergovernmental agreements or contracts shall be based on a uniform format that has been cooperatively developed by the community college districts in this state.  Each of these agreements or contracts shall clearly specify the following:

(a) The financial provisions of the agreement or contract and the format for billing all services under the agreement or contract, including the amount that the community college received in full-time student equivalent funding pursuant to section 15-1466.01, the portion of the funding that is distributed to the school district governing board or charter school and any amount that is subsequently returned to the community college district by the school district governing board or charter school.

(b) Student tuition and financial aid policies, including whether scholarships or grants are awarded to students in dual enrollment courses from the community college.

(c) The accountability provisions for each party to the agreement or contract.

(d) The responsibilities and services required of each party to the agreement or contract.

(e) The type of instruction that will be provided under the agreement or contract, including the titles of the courses to be offered.

(f) The quality of the instruction that will be provided under the agreement or contract.

2. Students shall be admitted to the community college under the policies adopted by each district, except that all students who are enrolled for college credit shall be high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors. All students who are in the course, including those not electing to enroll for college credit, shall satisfy the prerequisites for the course as published in the college catalog and shall comply with college policies regarding student placement in courses.

3. The courses shall be previously evaluated and approved through the curriculum approval process of the district, shall be at a higher level than taught by the high school and shall be transferable to a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents or be applicable to an established community college occupational degree or certificate program. Physical education courses are not available for dual enrollment purposes.

4. College-approved textbooks, syllabuses, course outlines and grading standards that are applicable to the courses if taught at the community college shall apply to these courses and to all students in the courses offered pursuant to this section. The chief executive officer of each community college shall establish an advisory committee of full-time faculty who teach in the disciplines offered at the community college to assist in course selection and implementation in the high schools and to review and report at least annually to the chief executive officer whether the course goals and standards are understood, the course guidelines are followed and the same standards of expectation and assessment are applied to these courses as though they were being offered at the community college.  The advisory committee of full-time faculty shall meet at least three times each academic year.

5. Each faculty member shall meet the requirements established by the governing board pursuant to section 15-1444. The chief executive officer of each community college district shall establish an advisory committee of full-time faculty who teach in the disciplines offered at the community college district to assist in the selection, orientation, ongoing professional development and evaluation of faculty who are teaching college courses in conjunction with the high schools. The advisory committee of full-time faculty shall meet at least two times each academic year.

6. A school district shall ensure that a pupil is a full-time student as defined in section 15-901 and is enrolled in and attending a full-time instructional program at a school in the school district before that pupil is allowed to enroll in a college course pursuant to this section, except that high school seniors who satisfy high school graduation requirements with less than a full-time instructional program are exempt from this paragraph.

7. Notwithstanding paragraph 6 of this section, homeschooled students may fully participate in dual enrollment, including receipt of college credit pursuant to this section.

8. As allowed under community college accreditation guidelines, a child with a disability as defined in section 15-761 shall have access to any supplementary aid, service or accommodation provided in the child's individualized education program as defined in section 15-731 or in the student's section 504 plan as defined in section 15-731.