Idaho Department of Education

Students and parents must sign the Advanced Opportunities Participation Form before being eligible for state funding. This form should be turned into the school’s Advanced Opportunities staff (please do not send this to the Idaho 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 Idaho Department of Education/Advanced Opportunities pays for the course, regardless of the course outcome.

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

Please provide the participation form to the school’s Advanced Opportunities staff. Please DO NOT send it to the Idaho Department of Education.

Have a plan. Meeting with a high school counselor and/or college/career advisor is the best place to begin. Each student has an advisor at the school who is trained to provide support. Students who use Advanced Opportunities funds for more than 15 dual credits should receive specific advising on how credits will translate into their post high-school goals. Courses and exams paid by Advanced Opportunities should be aligned to the student Career Pathway Plan.

It’s important to be realistic about the goal of taking college course work. While an Associate Degree may be attainable in high school, it’s important to be realistic and understand fully the commitment and value to be earned. Talk with a college academic advisor if this is a consideration.

Courses within the GEM Framework (general education core courses) are what are generally recommended when considering which courses to take. These course have additional value as:

• Many Idaho colleges have specific pathways and transfer agreements for those who transfer with such courses.
• Students who complete these courses at a regionally-accredited Idaho public college will likely be considered as satisfying the general education core requirements when transferring to another public college/university in Idaho.
• Completing these courses can significantly reduce overall costs and time of obtaining further education.

Most courses taken in Idaho 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 public colleges 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 courses are highly recommended.

If a student plans to attend a private or out-of-state college, it is advised to contact the particular college first to ask how Idaho college credits will be accepted. Each college will have transfer guides and articulation agreements that can assist students.

Student and parent will be asked to fill out a participation form that will be kept at their school. The student will need to request funds for specific courses/exams through their Advanced Opportunities account. Check with your school’s Advanced Opportunities staff 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 college.

Applying for college courses is separate from 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 are 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, students 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.

Read the school district guidance document below to learn more about how college credit can be applied for dual credit in high school.

• Awarding High School Credit Guidance

If a student does not live in Ada, Canyon, Twin Falls, Kootenai, Bonneville or Jerome counties and the student is taking a course from an Idaho community college (College of Southern, College of Western Idaho or College of Eastern Idaho, or North Idaho College), then the student will want to request tuition assistance to pay for the out-of-district fees. A student will need to fill out a Certificate of Residency and provide the document to the county of residence. The Certificate of Residency is due before December 1st for Fall courses and May 1st for Spring courses.

Advanced Opportunities (AO) is inclusive of many different course types including college courses for both Career & Technical Education (CTE) and academic education.

Generally, receiving a “W” (withdraw) or an “F” is considered failing, but ultimately this will be determined the provider of the course.

If a student fails to earn credit or successfully complete a course for which the Advanced Opportunities program has paid a reimbursement, the student must pay for and successfully earn credit or pay for an exam before the Idaho Department of Education pays any further reimbursements for the student.

To learn what is a failed exam, please talk with your school.

If a student fails to successfully complete an exam for which the department has paid a reimbursement, the student must pay for and successfully earn credit of a dual credit course or pay for an exam before the Idaho Department of Education pays any further reimbursements for the student.

Students are provided a limit of $2,500. Any funding paid in a prior term is counted toward this total.

Depending on the number of applications and funding requests, as well as available funds, reimbursement may be less than the allowable limit.

Reimbursement is only eligible for courses or exams taken within the designated school year.

Grading policies vary by school 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.

The statute governing these programs explicitly states that these funds are available to students who are attending an accredited Idaho private school. In many cases, homeschool/private school students choose to dually enroll in either an eligible Idaho public or accredited private school to gain access to the program. Please note that local enrollment policies will apply and vary from school to school. The student can only use funds from one program.

Courses
Depending on the provider of the course, payments may either be sent directly to the provider or may be sent to the school. If the student is taking a course from an Idaho college, the payment will be sent to the provider. If the student is taking a course from an out-of-state provider, the reimbursement payment will be sent to the student’s school.

Exams
Payment for exams will be paid to the student’s school. The school may need to see a receipt of the exam costs for eligibility and approval.

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

Courses that espouse a religious doctrine are prohibited for funding.

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 completed before a student may enroll in the college level work. Remedial courses are generally numbered below 100.