The Department recently published a new dashboard that shows the time needed for Iowa community college graduates to recover educational costs by award type and program area.
This immediate return on investment calculation compares graduate earnings against the cost of attendance. The break-even threshold includes the median earnings of an Iowa high school graduate plus annual loan and interest payments. A "break-even year" is reached when earnings equal or surpass this threshold.
Earnings data comes from participation in US Census Bureau's Postsecondary Employment Outcomes system (PSEO). Median earnings of an Iowa high school graduate come from the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Education Department. Loan amounts are formed based on full cost of attendance (COA), which consists of full tuition and fees for a particular program type in a particular Iowa community college minus average grant amounts for a particular type of program in a particular college.
The Program ROI dashboard is available as a part of Credit Program Employment Outcomes at Iowa Student Outcomes website and the Community College & High School Programs Dashboard at Iowa Department of Education website by clicking on the tab titled 'Program ROI.'
For more information on this resource, contact Bureau of Community Colleges administrative consultant Vlad Bassis at vladimir.bassis@iowa.gov.
|
Iowa community colleges seeking to reduce barriers to career and academic opportunities by providing high school students with postsecondary preparation and career-based services are encouraged to apply for the latest round of College and Career Transition Counselor (CCTC) grants.
CCTCs work directly through community colleges and local high schools to support the transition to postsecondary education and careers by making targeted connections with students and families at crucial points in the college-going process. This is the sixth round of funding the Department has provided to fund these critical positions.
Awarded by the Bureau of CTE and Postsecondary Readiness, the grants provide community colleges $50,000 in Iowa Department of Education Perkins Reserve Fund support over three years for new CCTC positions..
More information on CCTCs is available on the Department website, and the grant application is available at IowaGrants.gov and open until June 15.
|
To provide analytical data for the annual CTE Review, the Department has created a new resource to help community colleges examine their data regarding CTE enrollments and graduation rates by program.
Using Microsoft Excel, this tool draws on data from the Community College Management Information System (CCMIS). The interactive data sets presented in the tool allow for an analysis of enrollments and graduations. Presented in standard graduation rate calculations based on Perkins V data aggregation criteria to answer certain questions and improve program quality, such as:
- Which groups of students by race/ethnicity, gender and other Perkins V standard aggregations are underrepresented in programs that lead to higher opportunity job and transfer outcomes? What are the comparable trends from year to year among such groups?
- Colleges can use the CTE Enrollment worksheet to examine this question to identify programs with clear job and transfer outcomes for students.
- Which groups of students by race/ethnicity, gender and other Perkins V standard aggregations are underrepresented in graduation rate per program that lead to higher opportunity job and transfer outcomes? What are the comparable trends from year to year among such groups?
Colleges can use the CTE Graduation Rate worksheet to examine this question to identify programs with clear job and transfer outcomes for students.
Due to significant personal details displayed in the FERPA-protected data, the tool is distributed only to individual colleges and can not be distributed publicly. The tool is included annually to a standard data package for accreditation visits.
For more information on this resource, contact Bureau of Community Colleges administrative consultant Vlad Bassis at vladimir.bassis@iowa.gov.
Beginning with the 2026-27 school and program year, Senate File 369 mandates that adult education and literacy programs must administer a civics test to all students earning a high school equivalency diploma (HSED) prior to issuing a diploma and ensure each student attains at least one passing score.
This high school equivalency civics test FAQ serves as a guide for implementing Senate File 369’s requirements.
For more information on the civics test requirement, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Education Program Consultant Lisa Gard at lisa.gard@iowa.gov.
|
Pathway Pillars in Practice is a series of webinars that create communities of practice around specific topics related to one of the four pillars of guided pathways. Each session highlights the work of at least one of the 15 Iowa community colleges is doing related to guided pathways.
The next Pathway Pillars in Practice will be held on Tuesday, June 9 at 11 a.m. The session will detail how NIACC implemented Guided Pathways and Meta Major for all students, including concurrent enrollment students, and how these approaches - including their CCTC advising model - are helping students take meaningful college credits while still in high school.
Guided Pathways and Meta Majors give students at rural community colleges a clear, confident route to success. For students balancing school, work and family, especially first-generation and at-risk learners, clarity matters. Guided Pathways brings purpose from day one, helping students understand their options, connect to support and stay on track toward real goals.
Meta Majors build on that foundation, grouping students into shared academic and career communities where they can learn, grow, and stay motivated together. NIACC has integrated Meta Majors into Concurrent Enrollment advising with CCTCs and their high school partners. These strategies, driven by remarkable student success data, are reshaping concurrent enrollment advising, strengthening career alignment, and closing equity gaps for the high school population.
We encourage faculty, staff and administrators to register for and attend this informative session, especially anyone involved in advising or building pathways for concurrent enrollment students.
For more information on the session and Pathway Pillars in Practice, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Education Program Consultant Kelly Friesleben at kelly.friesleben@iowa.gov.
With House File 2610 taking effect July 1, pending the Governor's signature, the Department and community colleges are engaged in the initial planning process of complying with the legislation’s mandate that creates a unified common course numbering system and general education framework for Iowa’s 15 community colleges.
The bill also directs community colleges to transition away from traditional remedial education in favor of credit-bearing corequisite academic support models.
To ensure a collaborative process in addressing these changes, the Department of Education is convening three stakeholder-driven advisory committees composed of Department staff alongside community college faculty and professionals. These groups will provide local expertise and feedback to the Department as the Department facilitates the rulemaking and implementation processes for:
- Common course numbering system
- Lower division general education framework
- Corequisite remediation models
For more information on these advisory committees and the process of implementing House File 2610, contact Bureau of Community Colleges Education Program Consultant Derreck Calkins at derrick.calkins@iowa.gov.
|
The Bureau of Community Colleges has a new career opportunity for candidates passionate about community colleges and education in Iowa.
We are hiring a Chief of the Bureau of Community Colleges. This position leads statewide efforts related to community colleges and workforce preparation. The position is also responsible for planning and directing the overall work of the Bureau, managing its team of 12 professional staff and coordinating programs and functions to ensure division objectives and state and federal requirements are met.
Applications for this position close June 21. For specific questions about this position, contact Division of Higher Education and Postsecondary Readiness Administrator Amy Gieseke at amy.gieseke@iowa.gov.
To learn more about other Department career postings, visit the State of Iowa Careers site.
|
If you received this copy of the Community College Leader Bulletin from a colleague and wish to subscribe to directly receive future editions, sign up to receive the Community College Leader Bulletin. The monthly newsletter includes information on topics, issues and events relevant to community college stakeholders.
|
