The Kansas Challenge to Secondary School Students Act, K.S.A. 72-3220 through 72-3224, (Challenge Act) provides a means for school districts, in cooperation with eligible postsecondary institutions, to challenge high school students by procuring early college opportunities. The Kansas Board of Regents encourages all system postsecondary institutions to collaborate with local school districts and provide dual credit opportunities to high school students through cooperative agreements entered pursuant to the Challenge Act. The Challenge Act does not mandate system postsecondary institutions to offer dual credit enrollment to students in local school districts. However, if an eligible system postsecondary institution chooses not to offer dual credit enrollment with local districts pursuant to the Challenge Act, in accordance with Board policy for Off-Campus Delivery of Academic Courses and Programs, the home institution shall allow eligible system postsecondary institutions outside the institution’s service area to provide the Challenge Act opportunities with those school districts. The Challenge Act requires academic credit granted for courses successfully completed by high school students to qualify as both high school and college credit, which is defined as dual credit by the Higher Learning Commission. Board policy requires a dual credit cooperative agreement for all dual credit courses.
“Dual Credit Cooperative Agreement” means a written memorandum of understanding between an eligible postsecondary institution and a school district entered pursuant to the Kansas Challenge to Secondary School Students Act for the purpose of offering dual credit courses to eligible students who receive both high school credit and college credit.
“Dual Credit Courses” as defined by the Higher Learning Commission are courses taught to high school students for which the students receive both high school and college credit and involve the accredited institution’s responsibility for the quality of its offerings.
Policies are found in Chapter III, Section A of the Policy Manual.