Dysart board approves ASU Accelerate pilot enabling middle‑schoolers to take ASU online course

The Dysart Governing Board voted to approve a one‑year pilot agreement with Arizona State University that will let eligible eighth‑grade students at Freedom Elementary take an online ASU course for potential college credit.

The ASU Accelerate pilot, presented to the board as an opt‑in opportunity, will offer CIS 105 (Computer Applications and Information) to eighth‑grade students who currently have all A’s. District staff said the pilot is targeted at students unlikely to be pulled for remediation during intervention periods and is intended to build online course navigation skills and college readiness.

Under the agreement parents or guardians must enroll their students through ASU’s portal. A district representative said there is a $25 enrollment fee that covers course and curriculum access; students who earn a C or higher may opt to have the course posted to an ASU transcript for a $400 transcription fee paid to ASU. The district said online tutoring will be available to students at no cost, and students will complete coursework during tier‑2 time at school and as needed at home.

“We are proposing to pilot this year at Freedom Elementary,” Dr. Asai said, describing the opt‑in model and the district’s plan to track completion rates, average grades and parent and student satisfaction to determine whether to continue or expand the program.

Board members asked whether the district limited eligibility to A students by design; a board member asked if B students could be included in future cohorts. Dr. Asai said the district chose A students for the initial pilot to reduce the risk of course overload and to test the model before broadening eligibility. “We just wanted our first time out to be really cautious,” he said.

The board recorded the motion to approve the ASU universal learner course agreement and immediately carried it. The district will evaluate the pilot after the academic year and report findings to the board.

Why it matters: The pilot extends dual‑enrollment style opportunities into middle school for the first time in Dysart, offering families an opt‑in route to college credit and exposing students to online course expectations earlier.

Program details presented to the board include the $25 enrollment fee, $400 optional transcription fee, the CIS 105 course focus (digital citizenship, Microsoft Office skills and data interpretation), availability of online tutoring, and evaluation metrics (completion rate, average grade, parent and student satisfaction).

The agreement approved by the board is between Dysart Unified School District and the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University.