15-792.03. Grand Canyon diploma

A. The private organization selected pursuant to section 15-792.02 shall develop the Grand Canyon diploma to be approved and adopted by the state board of education. School districts and charter schools in this state may choose to offer a Grand Canyon diploma beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. A high school student who is enrolled in a school district or charter school that offers a Grand Canyon diploma may choose to pursue a Grand Canyon diploma.

B. The Grand Canyon diploma may be awarded at the end of grade ten or during or at the end of grade eleven or twelve to students who meet the criteria. Students who elect to pursue a Grand Canyon diploma shall participate in a board examination system that consists of internationally benchmarked instructional programs of study chosen by an interstate compact on board examination systems.

C. Students who earn a Grand Canyon diploma shall have multiple pathways available to them and may:

1. Enroll the following fall semester in a community college under the jurisdiction of a community college district in this state. Community colleges under the jurisdiction of a community college district in this state shall admit students who obtain a Grand Canyon diploma and who otherwise meet the qualifications for admission without requiring those students to enroll in remedial courses. The school district or charter school from which the student earned the Grand Canyon diploma shall include that student in the school district's or charter school's student count and shall continue to receive per pupil funding for a student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade twelve, as long as that student is enrolled in approved postsecondary studies at that school district or charter school. The school district or charter school shall reimburse the community college district for the amount of operating full-time student equivalency monies that the community college district would be entitled to receive if the student was enrolled as a full-time equivalent student in a community college district. If the student attends community college on a community college campus, the school district or charter school shall reimburse the community college district for the amount of operating and capital outlay full-time student equivalency monies. For the purposes of this paragraph, the amount of operating full-time student equivalency monies shall be equivalent to the average appropriation per full-time student equivalent for all community college districts as calculated pursuant to section 15-1466, subsection C, paragraph 2. Fifty per cent of the remaining balance of the per pupil funding shall be used for teacher and pupil incentives, including scholarship programs and fifty per cent shall be used for maintenance and operations, including capital. The remaining balance of the per pupil funding for teacher and pupil incentives, including scholarship programs, shall be used to offset the costs of board examinations and to provide customized programs of assistance for students who do not pass the board examinations. A student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma may enroll in community college courses offered on a community college campus or a high school campus, or both. Notwithstanding any other law, community college districts shall not classify a student who remains in high school pursuant to this paragraph as a full-time equivalent student. Students who take courses on high school campuses pursuant to this paragraph shall be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, including interscholastic sports, through the end of grade twelve. The expenditure by community college districts of payments from the school district or charter school to the community colleges under this section shall not be included under the district expenditure limitation prescribed pursuant to article IX, section 21, Constitution of Arizona.

2. Remain in high school and enroll in additional advanced preparation board examination programs that are designed to prepare those students for admission to high quality postsecondary institutions that offer baccalaureate degree programs. These board examination programs shall be selected from a list approved by an interstate compact for board examination systems. The school district or charter school from which the student earned the Grand Canyon diploma shall include that student in the school district's or charter school's student count and shall continue to receive per pupil funding for a student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade twelve, as long as that student is enrolled in approved advanced preparation board examination programs at that school district or charter school. Students who elect to remain in high school pursuant to this paragraph shall be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, including interscholastic sports, through the end of grade twelve.

3. Enroll in a full-time career and technical education program offered on a community college campus, a high school campus or a joint technical education district campus, or any combination of these campuses. Students who elect to remain in high school pursuant to this paragraph shall be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, including interscholastic sports, through the end of grade twelve. The school district or charter school from which the student earned the Grand Canyon diploma shall include that student in the school district's or charter school's student count and shall continue to receive per pupil funding for a student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade twelve, as long as that student is enrolled in an approved full-time career and technical education program. Notwithstanding any other law, if the instruction provided under this paragraph is provided by a joint technical education district, the average daily membership for that pupil shall be 1.25.

4. Return to a traditional academic program without completing the next level of board examination systems curriculum.

D. Students who pursue but do not earn a Grand Canyon diploma at the end of grade ten or eleven shall receive a customized program of assistance during the next school year that addresses areas in which the student demonstrated deficiencies in the approved board examinations. These students may retake the board examinations at the next available examination administration. Students may choose to return to a traditional academic program without completing the board examination system curriculum.

E. The private organization selected pursuant to section 15-792.02 shall develop detailed requirements for students to earn the Grand Canyon diploma, as approved and adopted by the state board of education, that include at least the following:

1. Demonstrated skills and knowledge in English and mathematical literacy to be successful in college level courses offered by the community colleges in this state that count toward a degree or certificate without taking remedial or developmental coursework as determined by an interstate compact on board examination systems.

2. Satisfactory grades on approved board examinations in subjects determined to be necessary to prepare a student to enter community college without remedial or developmental coursework and that do not include coursework required exclusively for entry into an institution that awards baccalaureate degrees.

F. A student who obtains a Grand Canyon diploma pursuant to this section is not eligible to participate in the early graduation scholarship program established by section 15-105 if the student elects to pursue one of the pathways prescribed in subsection C, paragraph 1, 2 or 3 of this section. The department of education shall not transmit any monies to the commission for postsecondary education pursuant to section 15-105, subsection F on behalf of any student who obtains a Grand Canyon diploma pursuant to this section if the student elects to pursue one of the pathways prescribed in subsection C, paragraph 1, 2 or 3 of this section.

15-792.03. Grand Canyon diploma

A. The private organization selected pursuant to section 15-792.02 shall develop the Grand Canyon diploma to be approved and adopted by the state board of education. School districts and charter schools in this state may choose to offer a Grand Canyon diploma beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. A high school student who is enrolled in a school district or charter school that offers a Grand Canyon diploma may choose to pursue a Grand Canyon diploma.

B. The Grand Canyon diploma may be awarded at the end of grade ten or during or at the end of grade eleven or twelve to students who meet the criteria. Students who elect to pursue a Grand Canyon diploma shall participate in a board examination system that consists of internationally benchmarked instructional programs of study chosen by an interstate compact on board examination systems.

C. Students who earn a Grand Canyon diploma shall have multiple pathways available to them and may:

1. Enroll the following fall semester in a community college under the jurisdiction of a community college district in this state. Community colleges under the jurisdiction of a community college district in this state shall admit students who obtain a Grand Canyon diploma and who otherwise meet the qualifications for admission without requiring those students to enroll in remedial courses. The school district or charter school from which the student earned the Grand Canyon diploma shall include that student in the school district's or charter school's student count and shall continue to receive per pupil funding for a student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade twelve, as long as that student is enrolled in approved postsecondary studies at that school district or charter school. The school district or charter school shall reimburse the community college district for the amount of operating full-time student equivalency monies that the community college district would be entitled to receive if the student was enrolled as a full-time equivalent student in a community college district. If the student attends community college on a community college campus, the school district or charter school shall reimburse the community college district for the amount of operating and capital outlay full-time student equivalency monies. For the purposes of this paragraph, the amount of operating full-time student equivalency monies shall be equivalent to the average appropriation per full-time student equivalent for all community college districts as calculated pursuant to section 15-1466, subsection C, paragraph 2. Fifty per cent of the remaining balance of the per pupil funding shall be used for teacher and pupil incentives, including scholarship programs and fifty per cent shall be used for maintenance and operations, including capital. The remaining balance of the per pupil funding for teacher and pupil incentives, including scholarship programs, shall be used to offset the costs of board examinations and to provide customized programs of assistance for students who do not pass the board examinations. A student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma may enroll in community college courses offered on a community college campus or a high school campus, or both. Notwithstanding any other law, community college districts shall not classify a student who remains in high school pursuant to this paragraph as a full-time equivalent student. Students who take courses on high school campuses pursuant to this paragraph shall be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, including interscholastic sports, through the end of grade twelve. The expenditure by community college districts of payments from the school district or charter school to the community colleges under this section shall not be included under the district expenditure limitation prescribed pursuant to article IX, section 21, Constitution of Arizona.

2. Remain in high school and enroll in additional advanced preparation board examination programs that are designed to prepare those students for admission to high quality postsecondary institutions that offer baccalaureate degree programs. These board examination programs shall be selected from a list approved by an interstate compact for board examination systems. The school district or charter school from which the student earned the Grand Canyon diploma shall include that student in the school district's or charter school's student count and shall continue to receive per pupil funding for a student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade twelve, as long as that student is enrolled in approved advanced preparation board examination programs at that school district or charter school. Students who elect to remain in high school pursuant to this paragraph shall be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, including interscholastic sports, through the end of grade twelve.

3. Enroll in a full-time career and technical education program offered on a community college campus, a high school campus or a joint technical education district campus, or any combination of these campuses. Students who elect to remain in high school pursuant to this paragraph shall be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities, including interscholastic sports, through the end of grade twelve. The school district or charter school from which the student earned the Grand Canyon diploma shall include that student in the school district's or charter school's student count and shall continue to receive per pupil funding for a student who earns a Grand Canyon diploma until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade twelve, as long as that student is enrolled in an approved full-time career and technical education program. Notwithstanding any other law, if the instruction provided under this paragraph is provided by a joint technical education district, the average daily membership for that pupil shall be 1.25.

4. Return to a traditional academic program without completing the next level of board examination systems curriculum.

D. Students who pursue but do not earn a Grand Canyon diploma at the end of grade ten or eleven shall receive a customized program of assistance during the next school year that addresses areas in which the student demonstrated deficiencies in the approved board examinations. These students may retake the board examinations at the next available examination administration. Students may choose to return to a traditional academic program without completing the board examination system curriculum.

E. The private organization selected pursuant to section 15-792.02 shall develop detailed requirements for students to earn the Grand Canyon diploma, as approved and adopted by the state board of education, that include at least the following:

1. Demonstrated skills and knowledge in English and mathematical literacy to be successful in college level courses offered by the community colleges in this state that count toward a degree or certificate without taking remedial or developmental coursework as determined by an interstate compact on board examination systems.

2. Satisfactory grades on approved board examinations in subjects determined to be necessary to prepare a student to enter community college without remedial or developmental coursework and that do not include coursework required exclusively for entry into an institution that awards baccalaureate degrees.

F. A student who obtains a Grand Canyon diploma pursuant to this section is not eligible to participate in the early graduation scholarship program established by section 15-105 if the student elects to pursue one of the pathways prescribed in subsection C, paragraph 1, 2 or 3 of this section. The department of education shall not transmit any monies to the commission for postsecondary education pursuant to section 15-105, subsection F on behalf of any student who obtains a Grand Canyon diploma pursuant to this section if the student elects to pursue one of the pathways prescribed in subsection C, paragraph 1, 2 or 3 of this section.