The Youth Options Program
The YOUTH OPTIONS PROGRAM allows all public high school juniors and seniors who meet
certain requirements to take postsecondary courses at a Wisconsin technical college or institution of
higher education. An institution of higher education (IHE) includes UW System institutions, tribally
controlled colleges and private, nonprofit institutions.
The program opens the door to greater learning opportunities for students who are considering a
technical career, students wishing to begin college early, or students who want to prepare to enter the
workforce immediately after high school graduation.
The student does not have to pay for a postsecondary course if the school board determines the course
may receive high school credit and the course is not comparable to a course offered in the school
district. (Under some circumstances a school board does have to pay for a comparable technical
college course. See payment of tuition and fees for more details.) If approved by the school board, the
student will receive both high school and postsecondary credit for a successfully completed course.*
The high school will grant a diploma to a student who has successfully completed high school
graduation standards, regardless of whether the requirements were met at the high school or a
postsecondary institution.
*Course credit and grade will become part of the student’s cumulative grade record at
Johnson Creek High School.
FORMS YOU NEED
A program plan and report form (PI-8700A) used to notify the school board of a student’s intent to
participate in the program may be obtained form your school district, the DPI, or the web address
provided on the opposite side of this brochure. Application forms for admission to a postsecondary
institution may be obtained from your school district or the postsecondary institution.
ELIGIBILITY - STUDENT/PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Since all public high schools participate in the Youth Options program, all juniors and seniors in
Wisconsin public schools who meet the program requirements are eligible. To qualify for the
program, a student must:
Have completed the 10th grade, and to attend a technical college, be in good academic standing
and have an acceptable disciplinary record.
Apply to the postsecondary institution in the school semester prior to the one in which the
student plans to attend the postsecondary course.
Notify the school board (complete form PI-8700A) of the student’s intention of enrolling in a
postsecondary institution no later than March 1st for a course to be taken in the fall semester;
October 1st for a course to be taken in the spring semester.
Notify the school board if the student is registered to attend a postsecondary course.
A parent or guardian is responsible for satisfactory student attendance and the student’s compliance
with the compulsory school attendance law under s. 118.15(1)(a) Stats. Moreover, the School Board
may refuse to permit a student with certain conditions to attend a technical college if the cost would
impose an undue financial burden on the school district.
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