Idaho State Department of Education

Advanced Opportunities helps students attain college credit while in high school and work toward career goals. Many students set goals to complete an associate's degree, general education core courses or certain courses for a career pathway before completing high school. For this reason, successful planning requires students to look at college catalogues, understand career training requirements and to ensure courses students are taking will apply toward the credential or degree students hope to attain. Contact the school counselor/career advisor (Advanced Opportunities designee) for more information.

Students and parents must sign the Advanced Opportunities Participation Form before being eligible for state funding. This form should be turned into the school district Advanced Opportunities designee (please do not send this to the State Department of Education). There are risks to taking advanced courses. The form outlines some of the potential risks to ensure students and parents are aware before they commit to the course(s).

One important item to consider is that the student’s grade will be recorded on the student’s high school transcript if the state pays for the course, regardless of the course outcome.

Students and parents also need to communicate with their school district Advanced Opportunities designee to learn the school district’s policies and deadlines for participation in the program and registration in the state Advanced Opportunities portal for funding.

Please give the form to the student's Advanced Opportunities designee. Please DO NOT send it to the State Department of Education.

The completion of an associate’s degree or general education course framework can help in many ways:

• Many Idaho colleges have specific pathways and transfer agreements for those who transfer with such completions.
• Students who complete requirement for the Associate of Arts/Science degree or GEM framework at a regionally-accredited Idaho public college will be considered as satisfying the general education core requirements when transferring to another public college/university in Idaho and will not be required to complete any additional general education requirements once enrolled.
• Obtaining such results can significantly reduce overall costs of obtaining further education.

Yes, here are additional resources:

• NextSteps.Idaho.gov
• CourseTransfer.Idaho.gov
• IdahoDigitalLearning.org
• IDSaves.org
• Libraries.Idaho.gov
• College dual credit coordinators

Most courses taken for dual credit will transfer seamlessly to other Idaho colleges, however this is ultimately at the discretion of the receiving college. More information on transferability between Idaho colleges can be found on the Idaho Course Transfer website. Idaho institutions have General Education Matriculation (GEM) approved courses that tend to transfer most flexibly. If a student isn’t particularly sure which major they hope to pursue, GEM stamped courses are highly recommended.

If a student plans to attend a private or out-of-state school, it is advised to contact the final school to ask how Idaho post-secondary credits will be accepted. Each institution will have transfer guides and articulation agreements that can assist with this.

Meeting with a high school counselor and/or college/career advisor is the best place to begin. Each public school student has an advisor at the school who is trained to provide support in this area. Additionally, students who use Advanced Opportunities dollars for more than 15 dual credits must receive advising on how credits will translate into their post high-school goals.

To utilize Advanced Opportunities funds, requests must be made through the student’s local school district. Student and parent will be asked to fill out a participation form that will be kept at their school. Depending on local processes, the student may need to request funds for specific courses/exams through their Advanced Opportunities account, or the Advanced Opportunities designee will apply on their behalf. Check with your school’s Advanced Opportunities designee to learn more about local deadlines and procedures.

• To apply for funding, please follow the instructions to create an Advanced Opportunities account.

When applying for Advanced Opportunities funds, please note that this does not take the place of college registration for dual credit. Each college/university has an admissions and course registration process for their institution.

Applying for college courses is different than applying for funds through the Advanced Opportunities program. The following is the general process:

• Complete Dual Credit Application: This information provides the necessary details to register for courses and ensures the criteria for enrolling in dual credit courses is met.
• Complete Course Registration: This registration is the actual selection of courses.
• If necessary, complete IDLA Application: When taking an online dual credit course through the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, will need to work with the IDLA site coordinator at the school to get signed up.

Processes, deadlines, and requirements for college courses differ between colleges and universities. It is important to be aware of the requirements for the college(s) you are choosing to attend.

Please view the Links tab to view college and university dual credit webpages.

Advanced Opportunities (AO) is inclusive of many different course types including college courses for both Career & Technical Education (CTE) and academic education that earn high school credit, approved workforce training courses and approved apprenticeships, and high school level courses outside of the students full credit load.

• Career & Technical Education information

AO may pay for overload courses, which are high school level courses that must be transcribed on a high school transcript, taken in excess of a full credit load, must be offered by the organization that accredits Idaho public schools, and must be taught by an Idaho certified teacher with the appropriate high school credentials. A full credit load means at least 12 credits per school year for grades 7-12. Overload is measured in the term for which the student is enrolled. Summer is generally considered overload, as courses are typically not expected of a student. Certain circumstance may vary by school.

Advanced Opportunities funding is limited to exams and courses, thus lab fees, technical competency credit transcription, and textbooks are currently prohibited expenses. Many school districts and college providers have resources to help with these costs.

Depending on the course and type there may be additional costs not met by Advanced Opportunities program funding. For example, costs could include: textbooks, transportation, tools, supplies, and transcription fees.

The statute governing these programs explicitly states that these funds are available to students who are attending an Idaho public school. In many cases, homeschool/private school students choose to dually enroll and participate in public school activities as well as homeschool/private school coursework. Many homeschool/private school families have chosen to mix and match the course pathway for their student to include at least one such course, making these funds accessible. Please note that local enrollment policies will apply and vary from district to district.

If a student fails to earn credit or successfully complete a course for which the department has paid a reimbursement, the student must pay for and successfully earn credit or complete one (1) like course before the State Department of Education may pay any further reimbursements for the student. Contact the student’s Advanced Opportunities designee to learn next steps.

If a student performs inadequately on an examination for which the State Department of Education has paid a reimbursement, the public school shall determine whether the student must pay for and successfully pass such examination to continue receiving state funding. An inadequate score is determined by the school district.

Repeated and remedial courses or examinations are not eligible for funding through the program. Repeated courses are generally determined by the curriculum and they may include similar or like course naming conventions or titles. Remedial courses are those courses designed for students in need of additional support to succeed in gateway courses in mathematics or English and require to be complete before a student may enroll in the college level work. Remedial courses are generally numbered below 100.

Grading policies vary by school district and provider. A student may enroll in a course for secondary credit, for postsecondary credit, or dual credit. If a college course is paid for by Advanced Opportunities, dual credit is required, meaning high school transcription is required. In the cases where a student is enrolled for dual credit, the student will likely both receive a secondary and post-secondary grade. Students are responsible for providing grades and other necessary information in order to receive secondary credit for a post-secondary course, if desired. In many circumstances a student’s post-secondary institution will share information automatically with the secondary institution so high school credit can be granted.

A school district shall grant academic or career and technical credit for dual credit courses. Four (4) semester college credits equal at least (1) full year (two (2) semester credits) of high school credit in that subject. Fewer college credits may be prorated.

An early graduate is determined by the school district exit code and the verification of enrollment by the college.

A student must apply within two years of graduation and be attending an Idaho public college through the student Advanced Opportunities account.

Annual scholarship payments will be made in one (1) installment during the first semester in which the student is enrolled, regardless of the number of years early the student graduated. Proof of enrollment in an Idaho public college or university is obtained via the Advanced Opportunities portal before any scholarship payment is made. The State Department of Education will be responsible for making payments to the Idaho public colleges and universities attended by eligible students. Payments will be made no later than June 15 for the Summer Semester, August 30 for the fall semester and January 30 for the spring semester.

The following are the deadlines for scholarship submission to be considered in the corresponding semester:

• Summer Semester: Application submitted by June 1
• Fall Semester: Application submitted by August 1
• Spring Semester: Application submitted by January 1