Iowa Board of Regents…

In light of our recent meeting with two representatives of the Regents, to communicate the negative impact of their new requirements on students ability to include arts education classes in their schedules, I have decided to present you with the following information supplied to IAAE by the Iowa Board of Regents.

In 2006, the General Assembly directed the Board of Regents to conduct a study of the admissions requirements to the public universities.  The Board conducted a six-month study of predictors of success for entering freshmen at the public universities.

The development of the Regent Admission Index and its factors were the culmination of in-depth research, data analysis, discussion with high school and Iowa Department of Education and ACT personnel, and review of best practices.   The factors were found to predict academic success at the public universities and are consistent with the Iowa Department of Education's goal of encouraging students to take a rigorous core curriculum throughout their high school careers. 

There were two objectives behind the inclusion of points for taking additional core courses in high school – (1) the core courses identified are closely aligned with the “gateway” courses that the majority of entering freshmen are required to take at the public universities; and (2) the research and data analysis undertaken both by the Regent Enterprise and other organizations such as ACT, revealed that students who completed more of these core courses have a higher probability of doing well in their freshmen year, as measured by their first year grade point average and, therefore, more likely to persist to graduation.  The core courses that have been identified are not aligned with any specific major; they are courses that demand a high level of rigor and accelerated work.  They have been shown to be good predictors of student success.

Board of Regents, State of Iowa

Freshman Admission Requirements to the Regent Universities

Admission of freshmen who wish to enroll at any of the Iowa Regent universities beginning

Fall 2009 and beyond will be based on the Regent Admission Index (RAI) equation described below. In addition, applicants must meet the minimum high school course requirements for the university they wish to enter.

( 2 x ACT composite score) + ( 1 x percentile high school rank) + (20 x high school GPA) + ( 5 x number of high school core courses)

Regent Admission Index Score

Note: For purposes of calculating the RAI, SAT scores will be converted to ACT composite equivalents, 99% is the top value for high school rank, 4.00 is the top value for GPA, and the number of high school core courses completed is expressed in terms of years or fractions of years (e.g., one semester equals 0.5 year). Applicants who do not possess all required factors will be evaluated on an individual basis by the Regent universities to which they apply.

Freshman applicants from Iowa high schools who achieve at least a 245 RAI score and who meet the minimum number of high school courses required by the Regent universities will qualify for automatic admission to any of the three Regent universities. Freshman applicants who achieve less than a 245 RAI score may also be admitted to a specific Regent university; however, each Regent university will review these applications on an individual basis and the admission decision will be specific to each institution. Freshman applicants from approved high schools in other states may be held to higher academic standards, but must meet at least the same requirements as graduates of Iowa high schools.

The Regent universities recognize that the traditional measures of academic performance do not adequately describe some students’ potential for success. Therefore, the Regent universities strongly encourage all interested students to apply for admission. Applicants who feel their academic record is not an accurate reflection of their potential for success are encouraged to provide supplemental information explaining their circumstances in addition to the application, academic transcripts, and test scores.

Acceptable Core Courses for Regent Admission Index

Completion of core courses is one of four factors that will be considered in the admission of freshmen who wish to enroll at the Iowa Regent universities beginning Fall 2009. These factors will be used to calculate a Regent Admission Index (RAI) for each applicant, based on the following equation:

RAI = (2 x ACT composite score) + (1 x high school rank expressed as a percentile) + (20 x high school grade point average) + (5 x number of years of high school courses completed in the core subject areas)

The Iowa Department of Education requires that all Iowa high schools utilize a specified course classification system to classify each course they offer. Specifically, through the 2007-2008 school year, high schools are required to use the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) course classification system to code each of their courses. However, beginning with the 2008-2009 school year, high schools will be required to use a new course classification system – SCED (School Codes for the Exchange of Data) – to code each of their courses. The Regent universities are utilizing these two classification systems to let high schools know which of their courses may be counted in the RAI calculation.

NCES Course Classification System (for use through the 2007-2008 school year)

The NCES code number is made up of 13 digits, each digit representing specific characteristics of the course as shown in the following example:

Subject Course Sequence

Area Title Level Credit Term Year #1 #2 #3

02 07 4 0.50 2 1 2 5 1

SCED Course Classification System (for use beginning with the 2008-2009 school year)

The SCED code number is made up of 11 digits, each digit representing specific characteristics of the course as shown in the following example.

Subject Course Sequence

Area Title Level Credit Term Year

02 052 G 050 1 1

In general, the courses that may be counted in the RAI calculation are limited to those offered in the following five subject areas: English, mathematics, science, social science, and foreign language. The Regent universities recognize that there are other courses offered outside of these five subject areas that may also serve as excellent preparation for college (e.g., animal science, AP Computer Science, AP Music, etc.). While these courses are not eligible to be counted in the RAI calculation, each Regent university will view these courses favorably when considering applicants who fall into the individual review category.

Attached are two tables containing NCES and SCED codes that represent the courses that may be used in the RAI calculation. Important: Only the first five digits of the NCES codes and the first six digits of the SCED codes are provided in the tables as these are the only digits that are necessary for determining eligible courses. We encourage you to compare the NCES and SCED codes for your school’s courses with the codes listed in the attached tables which represent the acceptable courses.

A committee of admissions officers from the Regent universities will respond to inquiries concerning the courses that may be counted in the RAI calculation. Please direct your inquiries to: Phil Caffrey, Senior Associate Director of Admission, Iowa State University, 800 262-3810, pbcaffr@iastate.edu.

NCES Codes for Regent Admission Index

(For Courses Offered in 2007-2008 Academic Year or Prior)

ENGLISH SOCIAL SCIENCE

1001(4,5,6) through 1008(4,5,6) 2201(4,5,6) though 2203(4,5,6)

1010(4,5,6) through 1014 (4,5,6) 2223(4,5,6)

1021(4,5,6) through 1022(4,5,6) 2605(4,5,6) through 2607(4,5,6)

1032(4,5,6) 2701(4,5,6) through 2704(4,5,6)

1041(4,5,6) through 1042(4,5,6) 2706(4,5,6) through 2714(4,5,6)

1051(4,5,6) 2721(4,5,6)

1081(4,5,6,) through 1084(4,5,6) 2723(4,5,6) through 2727(4,5,6)

2730(4,5,6)

MATHEMATICS 2732(4,5,6) through 2739(4,5,6)

2001(4,5,6) through 2003(4,5,6) 2741(4,5,6) through 2746(4,5,6)

2031(4,5,6) 2751(4,5,6) through 2753(4,5,6)

2033(4,5,6) through 2034(4,5,6) 2761(4,5,6)

2041(4,5,6) 2764(4,5,6)

2043(4,5,6) through 2059(4,5,6) 2770(4,5,6) through 2783(4,5,6)

2063(4,5,6) 2785(4,5,6) through 2786(4,5,6)

2071(4,5,6)

2074(4,5,6) through 2076(4,5,6) FOREIGN LANGUAGE

1201(4,5,6) through 1203(4,5,6)

SCIENCE 1205(4,5,6) through 1208(4,5,6)

1701(4,5,6) through 1704(4,5,6) 1210(4,5,6) through 1218(4,5,6)

1711(4,5,6) through 1716(4,5,6) 1221(4,5,6) through 1228(4,5,6)

1721(4,5,6) 1231(4,5,6)

1723(4,5,6) through 1726(4,5,6) 1241(4,5,6)

1731(4,5,6) 1251(4,5,6)

1733(4,5,6) through 1737(4,5,6) 1261(4,5,6) through 1263(4,5,6)

1741(4,5,6) 1271(4,5,6) through 1272(4,5,6)

1751(4,5,6) 1281(4,5,6)

1761(4,5,6)

1771(4,5,6)

Important: This list may undergo minor revisions as the Regent Admission Index requirement is implemented.

A current listing will always be available online at http://www2.state.ia.us/regents/rai/NCES.pdf.

New Admission Requirements

In December 2006, the Board of Regents approved new admissions requirements to the Regent universities. The new admissions requirements will go into effect for the Fall 2009 enrollment class at the Regent universities. This will allow current high school sophomore two years to prepare for the changes.

An admission index will be calculated for freshman applicants using the following formula:

Regent Admission Index = (2 x ACT composite score) + (1 x high school rank) + (20 x high school grade point average) + (5 x number of high school courses completed in the core subject areas).

A Regent Admission Index of 245 or higher will result in automatic admission to any of the three Regent universities. An individual review will be conducted by the admissions office for freshman applicants who scored below 245 or for whom an index could not be calculated.

In general, the courses that may be counted in the RAI calculation are limited to those offered in the following five subject areas: English, mathematics, science, social science, and foreign language. The Regent universities recognize that there are other courses offered outside of these five subject areas that may also serve as excellent preparation for college. While these courses are not eligible to be counted in the RAI calculation, each Regent university will evaluate these courses when considering applicants who fall into the individual review category.