1. A career academy may be established under an agreement between a single school district and a community college, or by multiple school districts and a community college organized into a regional career and technical education planning partnership pursuant to section 258.14. A career academy established under this section shall be a career-oriented or occupation-oriented program of study that includes a minimum of two years of secondary education, which may fulfill the sequential unit requirement in one of the four service areas required under section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph “h”, is articulated with a postsecondary education program, and is approved by the director under section 258.4. A career academy shall do all of the following:

 a. Utilize regional career and technical education planning partnerships outlined in section 258.14 in an advisory capacity to inform the selection and design of the career academy and establishment of industry standards.
 b. Establish a program of study that meets all of the following criteria:

 (1) Is designed to meet industry standards and prepare students for success in postsecondary education and the workforce.
 (2) Integrates academic coursework, includes work-based learning, and utilizes the individual career and academic planning process established under section 279.61.
 (3) Allows students enrolled in the academy an opportunity to continue on to an associate degree and, if applicable, a postsecondary baccalaureate degree program.

Terms Used In Iowa Code 258.15

  • Career academy: means a career academy established under section 258. See Iowa Code 258.6
  • Degree: means a postsecondary credential conferring on the recipient the title of associate, bachelor, master, or doctor, or an equivalent title, signifying educational attainment based on study which may be supplemented by experience or achievement testing. See Iowa Code 261B.2
  • Department: means the department of education. See Iowa Code 258.6
  • Director: means the director of the department of education. See Iowa Code 258.6
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • School: means an agency of the state or political subdivision of the state, individual, partnership, company, firm, society, trust, association, corporation, or any combination which meets any of the following criteria:
  • State board: means the state board for career and technical education as provided in section 258. See Iowa Code 258.6
  • Work-based learning: means opportunities and experiences that include but are not limited to tours, job shadowing, rotations, mentoring, entrepreneurship, service learning, internships, and apprenticeships. See Iowa Code 258.6
 2. The state board, in consultation with the division of community colleges of the department, shall adopt rules setting minimum standards for the development and implementation of career academies under this section and ensuring compliance with the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, 20 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq., as amended.