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Mesa board approves ASU Universal Learner Course agreement to expand student access to university courses
Summary
Mesa Public Schools approved an intergovernmental agreement with Arizona State University (ASU) to offer selected Universal Learner Courses (ULC) to students under a $250 flat fee arrangement. Board members said the program expands dual‑enrollment and career academy options but asked staff to continue work on course articulation and logistics.
The Mesa Public Schools governing board voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an intergovernmental agreement with Arizona State University that will make selected ASU Universal Learner Courses (ULC) available to Mesa students under a consolidated pricing arrangement.
District staff said the agreement reduces the per‑course cost to a flat $250 in negotiated pricing compared with a previously noted $400 fee, and that the district will begin with a limited set of courses aligned to Mesa standards. "We wanted to start small," district staff said, and explained the approval allows staff to finalize logistics such as enrollment procedures, payment flow and counselor coordination.
Trustees asked several questions about how ULC credits would articulate to Mesa graduation requirements and whether the district could add specific courses requested by students. District staff said courses on the approved list would be evaluated for equivalency to high‑school graduation requirements and that the district would consider additional course requests through its existing articulation process. "While people may say a course title is similar, a syllabus determines what was taught," a board member noted, describing the work needed to accept a university course for credit.
Board members and staff also discussed operational details: some ASU ULC offerings are on‑demand, others run on ASU sessions, and some could be delivered asynchronously with ASU instructors while district counselors or teachers provide local support. Staff said approval of the agreement opens the administrative process to coordinate rostering and fee collection and that the initiative could broaden dual‑enrollment opportunities where Mesa does not currently have a dual‑certified teacher.
Trustees asked whether ASU credits would transfer to other universities. Staff said students would earn credit at ASU and would then work with counselors and receiving colleges to determine transfer equivalency. Staff also said the list of district‑approved ULC courses will be reviewed annually as part of the course catalog.
The board approved the ASU ULC intergovernmental agreement on a 5–0 vote.
Provenance: - topicintro: transcript block s=7836.0947 — "Do I have a motion to approve the additional Arizona State University Universal Learner Course, ULC, intergovernmental agreement?" - topfinish: transcript block s=8570.029 — "With a vote of 5 yeas you have approved the additional Arizona State University Universal Learner Course ULC intergovernmental agreement."
