Curriculum

Check out this lesson on Student-led learning.

At City View, we intentionally celebrate the effort, growth, and achievements of our students across academics, community engagement, internships, and self-directed learning. Beginning in 9th grade, students can work toward a variety of honors and distinctions that reflect their commitment to the full City View experience. Many of these recognitions—such as graduation cords, medallions, and special awards—are presented during Senior Awards and other end-of-year celebrations. Students are encouraged to wear the cords, stoles, and medallions they have earned at graduation as a reflection of their hard work and the pathways they have pursued.

City View Community High School offers a Hybrid Learning Option for students who want a flexible, community-connected high school experience. This option blends Kirkwood Academy coursework, internships, advisory, and competency-based coursework (online or real-world). The purpose of this policy is to define student expectations, school responsibilities, and attendance requirements in compliance with Iowa law.

Overview of the Hybrid Pathway

Students enrolled in the Hybrid Learning Option complete the following each week.

1. Kirkwood courses, taken in person or online according to Kirkwood’s schedule.
2. A minimum of 6 verified internship hours each week.
3. At least one in-person advisory session at City View each week.
4. Required core coursework completed through Edgenuity or through documented real-world learning tied to academic standards.

Students may complete coursework remotely on days they are not scheduled for in-person advisory or internship. Students remain full-time enrollees of City View.

Weekly Participation Requirements

Kirkwood Attendance

Kirkwood Students must attend all scheduled Kirkwood sessions. Because Kirkwood instructors do not report daily attendance to the high school, verification is the student’s responsibility.

• Verification: Students must submit a weekly status check (e.g., screenshot of LMS login, signed weekly sheet, or grade check) to their City View advisor by Friday at 3:00 PM.
• Absences: Failure to provide verification results in recorded absences for those instructional blocks.

Internship / Work-Based Learning

• Students must complete at least 6 hours per week at an approved internship site.
• Hours may be scheduled during or outside the school day.
• Internship hours count as attendance only when verified through:
  • A signed Work-Based Learning Agreement
  • Weekly mentor-signed hour logs
  • Weekly reflections connecting work to learning standards or competencies
• Missed hours without documentation are counted as absences.

Advisory (In-Person Requirement)

Students must attend at least one in-person advisory session each week. Advisory is used for academic monitoring, SEL support, progress checks, and competency verification. City View may require additional in-person meetings if the student is behind or not meeting expectations.

Core Coursework (Online or Real-World Learning)

Students complete required core courses through Edgenuity or through real-world
experiences aligned to academic standards.

Remote coursework counts for attendance when the student:

• Attend their scheduled Kirkwood Academy course
• Attend in-person advisory at City View
• Complete verified internship hours
• Complete required daily Edgenuity module progress
• Submit assigned real-world learning reflections connected to standards
• Attend a synchronous check-in with a City View teacher or advisor

Students may work off-site for significant portions of the week, but they must
demonstrate daily engagement in learning.

Iowa Attendance and Legal Requirements

Compulsory Attendance and Instructional Hours
City View follows all Iowa compulsory attendance requirements.
Hybrid students must still meet the district’s full-time instructional hours.
Because hybrid learning includes off-site and online work, instruction must meet Iowa’s
definition of “equivalent instruction” (see Section 10).

Chronic Absence Thresholds

The following statewide thresholds apply:
● 10% Absences (Certified Notice): When a student misses 10% of days/hours in
a grading period, a notice is sent via certified mail to the parent/guardian.
● 15% Absences (School Engagement Meeting): An absenteeism prevention plan
must be signed by the student, parent, and school representative.
● 20% Absences (Truancy): If the prevention plan is violated, the student may be
referred to the County Attorney for truancy.

Verification of Off-Campus Learning

Off-campus learning is only counted as attendance when it is verified by a licensed
teacher through:
● Kirkwood attendance reports
● Internship mentor logs
● Online coursework progress data
● Learning artifact submission
● Teacher-student interactions
Unverified learning is recorded as an absence.

Student Responsibilities

Students in the Hybrid Option must:
● Attend required weekly advisory
● Maintain regular Kirkwood attendance
● Complete 6 verified internship hours weekly
● Meet Edgenuity or real-world coursework expectations
● Communicate barriers proactively
● Maintain professionalism at internship sites
● Submit all logs, reflections, and artifacts on time

School Responsibilities

City View will:
● Maintain daily attendance records across all learning modes
● Track and verify Kirkwood attendance
● Verify internship logs weekly
● Monitor online coursework data
● Provide weekly advisory and access to teachers of record
● Initiate engagement meetings when students approach absence thresholds
● Ensure hybrid learning meets Iowa’s equivalent instruction standard

Parent/Guardian Communication

Parents and guardians will receive:
● An overview of the Hybrid Learning Option before enrollment
● Regular progress updates
● Notice when a student approaches absence thresholds
● Notice if additional in-person support is required

Removal or Revision of Hybrid Status

A student may be returned to more traditional in-person instruction if they:
● Miss required advisory sessions
● Fail to maintain internship hours
● Miss Kirkwood sessions
● Fall behind in coursework
● Trigger chronic absence thresholds
● Request a schedule change
Students will receive supports and interventions before removal when possible.

Annual Review

This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure alignment with Iowa Department of
Education regulations, Kirkwood concurrent enrollment expectations, district policies,
and best practices for competency-based and work-based learning.

Clarification: What “Equivalent Instruction” Means in Iowa

Iowa law allows students to meet compulsory attendance requirements if they are
receiving “equivalent instruction” to what they would receive in school.
For public schools, this means:
Instruction is equivalent when a licensed teacher verifies that meaningful learning
aligned to Iowa’s academic standards occurred.
In practical terms, for hybrid learning, this means a student’s off-site or online work
counts as attendance only if:

1. There is a planned learning activity or learning target for the student that day
   (e.g., assigned Edgenuity modules, internship tasks, reflection, project work)
2. A licensed teacher verifies engagement or completion through one of the
   following:
   ○ Progress data in Edgenuity or another LMS
   ○ Submission of required assignments or reflections
   ○ Synchronous teacher-student communication
   ○ Internship logs signed by a mentor
   ○ Activity logs or artifacts showing evidence of learning
3. The learning matches Iowa standards or competencies
   (e.g., literacy, math, science standards or district-defined competencies)
4. The school documents the engagement for attendance reporting
   (e.g., logs, timestamped submissions, activity reports)
   If any of these elements are missing, the Department of Education expects the day to
   be counted as an absence—even if the student was “working” independently.
   Equivalent instruction = verified, standards-aligned learning, not just time on task.

Getting an internship sets up City View students up for success. Please review this guide on what makes an impact when it comes to utilizing an internship with one of our partners.