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5497XD

Concurrent Enrollment and Career and Academic Planning (5497XD) - Education, Department of

2025-2026 Regular Session

Expands concurrent enrollment, creates career academies, funds shared district and community college courses with weights, and strengthens transfer and articulation with Regents.

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Bill Summary · 5497XD

Summary: Concurrent Enrollment and Career and Academic Planning (5497XD)

Bill Information
- Bill Number: 5497XD
- Title: Concurrent Enrollment and Career and Academic Planning (5497XD) - Education, Department
- Introduced: December 23, 2025
- Status: Prefiled (proposed department of education bill)
- Jurisdiction: Iowa Legislature

Overview and purpose

This proposed bill aims to strengthen career education pathways in Iowa by expanding concurrent enrollment opportunities, creating and clarifying career academies, enhancing statewide and regional articulation between community colleges and public universities, and broadening the use and weighting of shared classes for funding purposes. It also directs the creation and management of high-demand occupation lists to support program development and funding.

Key Provisions

1) High-Demand Jobs Lists and Regional Input

  • The bill modifies the State’s high-demand job framework:
    • The statewide list of high-demand jobs will continue to be used for various programs (e.g., Future Ready Iowa initiatives, summer internships, scholarships, and postsecondary summer classes for high school students).
    • Community colleges, in collaboration with regional Career and Technical Education Planning Partnerships (CTEPs) and with approval of the local community college board, may identify and maintain a regional list of up to five high-demand jobs in their region.
    • Regional lists must be shared with the State Workforce Development Board (and may be used regionally for related programs).
    • The Workforce Development Board retains full discretion to select and prioritize statewide high-demand jobs after stakeholder consultation and public comment, and may add to the statewide list as needed.
  • At minimum, criteria for identifying high-demand jobs must be followed (criteria specifics not fully enumerated in the excerpt).

2) Career Academies

  • A career academy may be established via:
    • An agreement between a single school district and a community college, or
    • A regional arrangement involving multiple school districts and a community college organized as a regional CTE planning partnership.
  • A career academy is a career- or occupation-oriented program of study with:
    • At least two years of secondary education,
    • At least one unit meeting 261E.8 requirements (a graduation/sequence requirement),
    • An articulation with a postsecondary program,
    • Approval by the designated director (section 256.130).
  • The statute outlines additional obligations for career academies (sections 256.137), focusing on the implementation and alignment with postsecondary options.

3) Pupil Weighting for Shared Classes (Funding)

  • For classes taught through a district–community college sharing arrangement:
    • If weightings are needed to justify the class, the school district may certify to the Department of Management that the class would not otherwise be implemented without the added weighting.
    • Weighting for shared classes: 70% for career and technical (CTE) courses; 50% for liberal arts and sciences courses.
    • Summer term coursework under 261E.8(8) is counted as if taught in the same school year the district calendar begins after the summer term.
  • Specific eligibility and requirements for the shared-class weighting are provided in the statute, reinforcing the financial incentives for district–community college collaborations.

4) Articulation and Transfer Between Community Colleges and Regents Institutions

  • The bill requires a collective statewide articulation agreement with the State Board of Regents to ensure seamless transfer of:
    • Academic credits from completed AS/ASc degrees,
    • Career and technical education credits from various associate degrees (including applied variants).
  • Program-specific arrangements should favor transfer of CTE credits, provided there are no extenuating circumstances blocking transfer.
  • Provisions prohibit uniform limits on the number of CTE credits transferable.
  • The bill obligates:
    • Identification of a transfer/articulation contact and publicizing this information,
    • Collaboration with the Regents to expand articulation (including systematic processes for expanding discipline articulation, meetings between community college and Regents faculty, prioritizing core curricula, and expanding opportunities for new articulation agreements),
    • Development and implementation of processes to explore at least eight new AAS programs suitable for articulation.

5) Administrative Adjustments

  • The bill references amendments to Section 261E.8(8) and related provisions, aligning summertime eligibility and weighting with the broader concurrent enrollment framework.

Who Would Be Affected

  • High school students, particularly those participating in concurrent enrollment, career academies, and summer/youth programs.
  • Community colleges and their regional planning partnerships (CTE planning partnerships).
  • School districts, especially in settings that operate or plan to operate shared classes with community colleges.
  • The State Workforce Development Board and the State Board of Regents, which manage high-demand lists and articulation/transfer policies respectively.
  • Districts and colleges involved in career and technical education programs and follow-on baccalaureate pathways.

Procedural and Timeline Highlights

  • The bill establishes new processes for regional input on high-demand jobs and for ongoing articulation development.
  • It sets criteria and governance for creating and approving career academies.
  • It details funding weight adjustments tied to shared classes, including summer session handling.
  • It mandates the development of a statewide articulation framework with Regents institutions and phased expansion (minimum target of eight new AAS articulation opportunities).

Note: As a proposed bill with prefiled text, actual enactment, amendments, and final language may evolve through committee and floor processes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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