Questions & Answers

What is dual enrollment?
Dual enrollment is enrollment with a public school district of a child who is receiving CPI, usually for the purpose of attending one or more courses or extracurricular activities offered by the district. Iowa Code section 299A.8; 281-IAC 31.5.

In what school district activities may a dually enrolled child participate?
A child under dual enrollment may participate in academic programs or extracurricular activities on the same basis as any regularly enrolled student. A child under dual enrollment is also eligible to receive AEA services on the same basis as a regularly enrolled child. Iowa Code section 299A.8; 281-IAC 31.5.

May a child be dually enrolled in any school district?
No. A child may dual enroll only in his or her district of residence. However, a student may open enroll to another district and
then dual enroll in the receiving district. 281-IAC rules 17.10(2), 31.6.

How does a child use open enrollment to dually enroll in a district other than the child’s district of residence?
The parent or guardian just needs to follow the usual procedures of the open enrollment law – file the application with the resident district before March 1 of the preceding school year. See Open Enrollment Handbook at our web site:
http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/649/636/

May a dually enrolled child take post-secondary enrollment option (PSEO) courses?
Yes, if the child is an 11th or 12th grader. In re Meggan Stone, 19 D.O.E. App. Dec. 104; Iowa Code section 299A.8.

How many courses (PSEO or those offered by the district) may a dually enrolled child take?
Declaratory Ruling #44, 5 D.o.E. App. Dec. 33, states that a parent/guardian may not use dual enrollment to enroll a child in all
courses but one. (E.g., a child could take 5 of 7 classes via dual enrollment.) Also, The PSEO Act provides that a student
may not enroll on a full-time basis in a post-secondary institution under PSEO. Iowa Code section 261C.6.

What are other advantages of dual enrollment?
In addition to participation in academics and/or extracurricular activities, there are two primary advantages.
a. The parent or guardian of a child who is dually enrolled shall not be required to pay the costs of the child’s annual
assessment. Iowa Code section 299A.8; 281-IAC 31.4(2).
b. The district must provide available instructional materials, if the parent or guardian so requests, on the same basis
these materials are provided to regularly enrolled children. 281- IAC 31.4(4).

Does dual enrollment cost a child or the child’s family any money?
No. However, a district may charge a fee to a dually enrolled child if a fee also is charged for the same item or service to a regularly enrolled child. E.g., if a district charges a school supplies fee under Iowa Code 301.1 to regularly enrolled students,
that same fee may be charged to a dually enrolled student who also participates in the course or activity. Iowa Code section
299A.8.

What public funds does a district receive for a dually enrolled child?
If a child is dually enrolled solely to participate in extracurricular activities, the district receives one-tenth the amount of state aid it receives for a regularly enrolled child. A child dually enrolled in grades 9-12 for purposes other than or in addition to participation in extracurricular activities is counted by the district as a shared-time student. Iowa Code sections 299A.8, 257.6(1).

What is a home school assistance program (HSAP), and is a district required to have such a program?
Districts are not required to have a HSAP. If a district does have such a program, it must employ a properly licensed instructor
to provide instruction or instructional supervision of CPI. The instructor is required to have contact with the child and the
child’s parent/guardian at least 4 times per quarter, half of which contacts must be face-to-face with the child. The instructor is
also to advise the parent/guardian about lesson plans, instructional materials, teaching/learning techniques, evaluation of
student learning, planning, etc. 281-IAC rules 31.3 and 31.4(5).

May a student who is not of compulsory attendance age be dually enrolled?
Yes. A student receiving competent private instruction, who is 5 years of age by September 15 or who is under age 21 years
and has not graduated from CPI, or the equivalent thereof, may be dually enrolled. Iowa Code section 257.6(1) (f).

What are the other benefits of enrollment in a home school assistance program?
Because a district that has a HSAP is employing a licensed instructor to provide or supervise CPI, a child in a HSAP does not
have to be assessed annually to determine whether the child is making adequate educational progress. Also, the district must
provide appropriate instructional materials, if the parent or guardian so requests, on the same basis these materials are
provided to regularly enrolled children. 281-IAC rules 31.4(4) and 31.4(5).

Does dual enrollment include participation in a HSAP and vice-versa?
No. A child who receives CPI may be both dually enrolled and enrolled in a HSAP, may be enrolled in either one, or may
choose not to be enrolled in either. If a district has a HSAP and the parent/guardian wishes to have a child enrolled in that
program, the child must be specifically enrolled for that purpose. Just dually enrolling the child will not allow the child to
participate in the HSAP.
Iowa Code section 299A.8.

What is the difference between dual enrollment and a home school assistance program?
If a child is dually enrolled, she/he may participate in all academic and extracurricular activities offered at the district on the same basis as a regularly enrolled child. A child enrolled in a HSAP must also dually enroll to participate in academic and
extracurricular activities. A child who is dually enrolled is required to complete an annual assessment (via standardized test or portfolio evaluation) to show that s/he is making adequate progress, unless the child is working with a licensed instructor. A HSAP must provide a properly licensed instructor, so children enrolled in a HSAP are not required to be assessed annually. Iowa Code section 299A.8; 281-IAC 31.4(5).

May a child be enrolled in any school district’s home school assistance program?
No. A child may enroll only in a home school assistance program, if available, through his or her district of residence. However, a student may open enroll to another district and then enroll in the receiving district’s HSAP. 281-IAC rules 17.10(2), 31.6.

How does a child use open enrollment to enroll in a home school assistance program?
The parent or guardian just needs to follow the usual procedures of the open enrollment law – file the application with the resident district before March 1 of the preceding school year. See Open Enrollment Handbook at our web site:
http://www.iowa.gov/educate/content/view/649/636/

Is there any cost to a child or the child’s family to participate in a home school assistance program?
No.

What public funds does a district receive for a child enrolled in a home school assistance program?
The district receives six-tenths the amount of state aid it receives for a regularly enrolled child. Iowa Code section 257.6(1) (e).

30. Is there a deadline for dual enrollment and enrollment in a home school assistance program?
Yes. The district must be notified by the parent or guardian no later than September 15 of the current school year for which
either or both types of enrollment are sought. If the parent or guardian moves into the district after September 15 or withdraws
the child from the district or from an accredited nonpublic school after September 15, the deadline is no later than 14 days
after either event. 281-IAC 31.5.

May a child who is in attendance at an accredited nonpublic school be dually enrolled or enrolled in a home school assistance program?
No, these enrollments are available only to children who receive CPI. This includes only children who are home schooled and
who are in attendance in a non-accredited nonpublic “school.”
Iowa Code section 299A.8.