Course Approval

(1) Host LEAs shall partner with approved Providers to offer Course Access Courses approved by the State Board for inclusion in the Course Access Catalog. (2) No LEA or Charter School shall be required to be a Host LEA. (3) Host LEAs seeking to offer a Course Access Course shall establish a local course review and approval process. (4) Each local course review and approval process shall ensure courses recommended to the Department for inclusion in the Course Access Catalog: (a) Align to the applicable state academic standards set by the State Board; (b) Meet the instructional and academic rigor of a course that is provided in a traditional classroom setting; (c) Are designed and implemented consistently with guidelines and procedures established by the Department; (d) Are taught by a teacher who is properly licensed and endorsed in accordance with the rules of the State Board; and (e) Are offered by an approved Course Provider included in the listing of Providers in the Course Access Catalog. (5) Course Access Courses shall not include courses with a state-required assessment. (6) The length of each Course Access Course shall contribute to instructional time requirements such that each student enrolled in a Course Access Course still meets the required 6.5 hours a day of instruction. (7) Courses that meet all requirements under T.C.A. § 49-18-106, and the local course review and approval process, may be submitted to the Department for recommendation to the State Board for its approval and inclusion in the Course Access Catalog. Host LEAs shall submit locally approved courses to the Department with an assurance that the course has been reviewed in compliance with this rule and T.C.A. § 49-18-106. (8) Courses approved locally shall be submitted in the school year prior to implementation by the deadline set by the Department. (9) The Department shall review all locally approved courses submitted in accordance with the local course review and approval process, and shall submit to the State Board recommendations for approval or denial. A course shall not be included in the Course Access Catalog until approved by the State Board. (10) A course included in the Course Access Catalog shall be available to Eligible Students in any Home LEA. COURSE ACCESS PROGRAM CHAPTER 0520-01-14 (11) A Home LEA shall award credit to a student upon successful completion of an approved Course Access Course. (12) The State Board may exclude a course from the Course Access Catalog at any time if the Course Provider is excluded from the Course Access Catalog, or if a Home LEA, the Host LEA, or the Department: (a) Submits evidence to the State Board that: 1. The course is no longer adequately aligned with the approved state academic standards; 2. The course fails to meet the minimum requirements of the State Board; or 3. The course no longer complies with the course approval requirements set forth in paragraph (4)(a)–(e) above; and (b) Requests, in writing, that the State Board exclude the course. (13) The State Board may also exclude a course from the Course Access Catalog if the course is offered by a host school that was issued a “D” or “F” letter grade by the Department on the most recent state report card issued pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-1-228.