At-Risk

In Iowa, at-risk is defined in the Iowa Code and the Iowa Administrative Code. Since programming is a local decision, definitions and guidance are given so that school districts are able to decide locally what the specific indicators are that put students at risk and guidance for serving these students.

Code

Iowa Code and Iowa Administrative Code define at-risk language in the following ways:

Iowa Administrative Code 281-12.2(256) - Definition of At-Risk
"At-risk student" means any identified student who needs additional support and who is not meeting or not expected to meet the established goals of the educational program (academic, personal/social, career/vocational). At-risk students include but are not limited to students in the following groups: homeless children and youth, dropouts, returning dropouts, and potential dropouts.

Iowa Administrative Code 281-12.5(12) - Provisions for at-risk students. Iowa Code 280.19 and 280.19A are incorporated by this reference.

Funding

Iowa Administrative Code 281-97.3(257) - Supplementary weighting plan for at-risk students.
97.3(1) Uses of funds. Funding generated by the supplementary weighting plan for at-risk students shall be used to develop or maintain at-risk programs, which may include alternative school programs.
97.3(2) Calculation of funding. Funding for the supplementary weighting plan for at-risk students is calculated as follows:

1. Adding a weighting for each resident student of one hundred fifty-six one-hundred-thousandths.
2. Adding a weighting of forty-eight ten-thousandths for each resident student enrolled in grades one through six, as reported by the school district on the basic educational data survey for the base year, who is eligible for free and reduced price meals under the federal National School Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. Sections 1751-1785.

FY22 At-Risk Supplementary Weighting

FY21 At-Risk Supplementary Weighting

Guidance

Identification of students in each district is highly dependent on student(s) needs. Each school district will be different and the process dynamic. It is important that each district identify individual students at risk of school failure and use caution not to identify groups or clusters of students or even schools with a large concentration of high risk students. Early Warning Systems are crucial for future success and each system should have two components. One is the identification process and the second is using the data for selection and implementation of research-based intervention programs.

At-Risk or Alternative Education and Special Education - Eligible individuals may participate in At-Risk or alternative education schools, programs, or services.

Resources

Program plan template:

• AR/DOP Program Plan Template

Risk factors of potential dropouts:

• Four Domains of Risk Factors

Appropriate ongoing strategies:

• Strategies for Differentiating Instruction
• 15 Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention (National Dropout Prevention Center)

Also see: Alternative Education and Dropout Prevention