{"data":{"id":"us-ar/ark.-code-ann.-6-44-302","jurisdiction":"us-ar","citation":"Ark. Code Ann. § 6-44-302","heading":"Definitions","body":"As used in this subchapter: (1) \"Academic skill intake assessment\" means a criterion-referenced assessment of numeracy and literacy skills with high reliability and validity as determined by third-party research that is administered in person or online; (2) \"Accredited\" means an entity that holds an active accreditation from: (A) One (1) of the following regional accrediting organizations in the United States: (i) Middle States Commission on Higher Education; (ii) New England Association of Schools and Colleges; (iii) Higher Learning Commission; (iv) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; (v) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; (vi) Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges; (vii) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; or (viii) Any successor entities or consolidation or merger of any of the regional accreditors in the United States; or (B) Cognia; (3) \"Adult dropout recovery services\" means any type of assistance provided to a student, including without limitation: (A) Sourcing, recruitment, and engagement; (B) Learning plan development; (C) Active teaching; and (D) Proactive coaching and mentoring; (4) \"Approved program provider\" means a public, nonprofit, or other entity that satisfies the requirements of § 6-44-304 ; (5) \"Average cost per graduate\" means the total amount of Arkansas Adult Diploma Program funding dispersed to an approved program provider for a cohort through the end of the measurement period divided by the total number of graduates from the cohort during the measurement period; (6) \"Career advising services\" means services designed to assist a student in obtaining employment, including without limitation resume development and mock interviews; (7) \"Career pathways coursework\" means one (1) or more courses that help a student enter into or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster; (8) \"Coaching\" means proactive communication between an approved program provider and a student related to the student's pace and progress throughout his or her learning plan; (9) \"Cohort\" means the group of students who enter the program between July 1 and June 30 of each program year; (10) \"Employability skills certification\" means a certificate earned by a student's demonstrating professional nontechnical skills through assessment, including without limitation the program standards of the United States Department of Labor's \"Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success\"; (11) \"Graduate\" means a student who has successfully completed all of the approved program provider requirements in order to obtain a high school diploma; (12) \"Graduation rate\" means the total number of graduates from a cohort who graduated during a measurement period divided by the total number of students included in the same cohort; (13) \"Graduation requirements\" means course and credit requirements needed to earn a high school diploma from an approved program provider; (14) (A) \"High school diploma\" means a diploma issued by an accredited institution\nGraduation rate\" means the total number of graduates from a cohort who graduated during a measurement period divided by the total number of students included in the same cohort; (13) \"Graduation requirements\" means course and credit requirements needed to earn a high school diploma from an approved program provider; (14) (A) \"High school diploma\" means a diploma issued by an accredited institution. (B) A high school diploma issued under this subchapter is recognized as a secondary school diploma by this state; (15) \"Learning plan\" means a documented plan for courses or credits needed for each individual in order to complete the program and to fulfill the graduation requirements of an approved program provider; (16) \"Measurement period\" means the two-year period beginning July 1 of the year the cohort begins through June 30 of the subsequent state fiscal year; (17) \"Mentoring\" means a direct relationship between a coach and a student to facilitate the completion of the student's learning plan designed to prepare the student to succeed in the program and the student's future endeavors; (18) \"Milestones\" means the objective measures of progress for which payment is made to an approved program provider under this subchapter, including: (A) Earned units of high school credit; (B) Attainment of an employability skills certification; (C) Attainment of a workforce credential; and (D) Attainment of an accredited high school diploma; (19) \"Request for qualifications\" means a request for interested public, nonprofit, or other entities to submit evidence that the entity meets the qualifications established in § 6-44-304 , and if confirmed by the Department of Education, that the requestor is an approved program provider; (20) \"Student\" means a participant in the program who: (A) Is twenty-one (21) years of age or older; (B) Is a resident of this state; and (C) Has not earned a high school diploma; (21) \"Transcript evaluation\" means a documented summary of credits earned in previous public or private accredited high schools compared with the program and approved program provider graduation requirements; (22) \"Unit of high school credit\" means credit awarded based on a student's demonstration that he or she has successfully met the content expectation for the credit area as defined by subject area standards, expectations, or guidelines; and (23) \"Workforce credential\" means a third-party credential that is: (A) Part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build an individual's qualifications to advance along a career pathway; or (B) A credential that: (i) Verifies an individual's qualification or competence; and (ii) Is: (a) Issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue the credential; or (b) Aligned with high-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board. Added by Act 2023, No. 546,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2023.\n\nAs used in this subchapter:\n\n(1) \"Academic skill intake assessment\" means a criterion-referenced assessment of numeracy and literacy skills with high reliability and validity as determined by third-party research that is administered in person or online;\nhigh-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board. Added by Act 2023, No. 546,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2023.\n\nAs used in this subchapter:\n\n(1) \"Academic skill intake assessment\" means a criterion-referenced assessment of numeracy and literacy skills with high reliability and validity as determined by third-party research that is administered in person or online;\n\n(2) \"Accredited\" means an entity that holds an active accreditation from: (A) One (1) of the following regional accrediting organizations in the United States: (i) Middle States Commission on Higher Education; (ii) New England Association of Schools and Colleges; (iii) Higher Learning Commission; (iv) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; (v) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; (vi) Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges; (vii) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; or (viii) Any successor entities or consolidation or merger of any of the regional accreditors in the United States; or (B) Cognia;\n\n(A) One (1) of the following regional accrediting organizations in the United States: (i) Middle States Commission on Higher Education; (ii) New England Association of Schools and Colleges; (iii) Higher Learning Commission; (iv) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities; (v) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges; (vi) Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges; (vii) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; or (viii) Any successor entities or consolidation or merger of any of the regional accreditors in the United States; or\n\n(i) Middle States Commission on Higher Education;\n\n(ii) New England Association of Schools and Colleges;\n\n(iii) Higher Learning Commission;\n\n(iv) Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities;\n\n(v) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges;\n\n(vi) Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges;\n\n(vii) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges; or\n\n(viii) Any successor entities or consolidation or merger of any of the regional accreditors in the United States; or\n\n(B) Cognia;\n\n(3) \"Adult dropout recovery services\" means any type of assistance provided to a student, including without limitation: (A) Sourcing, recruitment, and engagement; (B) Learning plan development; (C) Active teaching; and (D) Proactive coaching and mentoring;\n\n(A) Sourcing, recruitment, and engagement;\n\n(B) Learning plan development;\n\n(C) Active teaching; and\n\n(D) Proactive coaching and mentoring;\n\n(4) \"Approved program provider\" means a public, nonprofit, or other entity that satisfies the requirements of § 6-44-304 ;\n\n(5) \"Average cost per graduate\" means the total amount of Arkansas Adult Diploma Program funding dispersed to an approved program provider for a cohort through the end of the measurement period divided by the total number of graduates from the cohort during the measurement period;\n\n(6) \"Career advising services\" means services designed to assist a student in obtaining employment, including without limitation resume development and mock interviews;\n\n(7) \"Career pathways coursework\" means one (1) or more courses that help a student enter into or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster;\n\n(8) \"Coaching\" means proactive communication between an approved program provider and a student related to the student's pace and progress throughout his or her learning plan;\n\n(9) \"Cohort\" means the group of students who enter the program between July 1 and June 30 of each program year;\nr more courses that help a student enter into or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster;\n\n(8) \"Coaching\" means proactive communication between an approved program provider and a student related to the student's pace and progress throughout his or her learning plan;\n\n(9) \"Cohort\" means the group of students who enter the program between July 1 and June 30 of each program year;\n\n(10) \"Employability skills certification\" means a certificate earned by a student's demonstrating professional nontechnical skills through assessment, including without limitation the program standards of the United States Department of Labor's \"Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success\";\n\n(11) \"Graduate\" means a student who has successfully completed all of the approved program provider requirements in order to obtain a high school diploma;\n\n(12) \"Graduation rate\" means the total number of graduates from a cohort who graduated during a measurement period divided by the total number of students included in the same cohort;\n\n(13) \"Graduation requirements\" means course and credit requirements needed to earn a high school diploma from an approved program provider;\n\n(14) (A) \"High school diploma\" means a diploma issued by an accredited institution. (B) A high school diploma issued under this subchapter is recognized as a secondary school diploma by this state;\n\n(A) \"High school diploma\" means a diploma issued by an accredited institution.\n\n(B) A high school diploma issued under this subchapter is recognized as a secondary school diploma by this state;\n\n(15) \"Learning plan\" means a documented plan for courses or credits needed for each individual in order to complete the program and to fulfill the graduation requirements of an approved program provider;\n\n(16) \"Measurement period\" means the two-year period beginning July 1 of the year the cohort begins through June 30 of the subsequent state fiscal year;\n\n(17) \"Mentoring\" means a direct relationship between a coach and a student to facilitate the completion of the student's learning plan designed to prepare the student to succeed in the program and the student's future endeavors;\n\n(18) \"Milestones\" means the objective measures of progress for which payment is made to an approved program provider under this subchapter, including: (A) Earned units of high school credit; (B) Attainment of an employability skills certification; (C) Attainment of a workforce credential; and (D) Attainment of an accredited high school diploma;\n\n(A) Earned units of high school credit;\n\n(B) Attainment of an employability skills certification;\n\n(C) Attainment of a workforce credential; and\n\n(D) Attainment of an accredited high school diploma;\n\n(19) \"Request for qualifications\" means a request for interested public, nonprofit, or other entities to submit evidence that the entity meets the qualifications established in § 6-44-304 , and if confirmed by the Department of Education, that the requestor is an approved program provider;\n\n(20) \"Student\" means a participant in the program who: (A) Is twenty-one (21) years of age or older; (B) Is a resident of this state; and (C) Has not earned a high school diploma;\n\n(A) Is twenty-one (21) years of age or older;\n\n(B) Is a resident of this state; and\n\n(C) Has not earned a high school diploma;\n\n(21) \"Transcript evaluation\" means a documented summary of credits earned in previous public or private accredited high schools compared with the program and approved program provider graduation requirements;\n\n(22) \"Unit of high school credit\" means credit awarded based on a student's demonstration that he or she has successfully met the content expectation for the credit area as defined by subject area standards, expectations, or guidelines; and\nmmary of credits earned in previous public or private accredited high schools compared with the program and approved program provider graduation requirements;\n\n(22) \"Unit of high school credit\" means credit awarded based on a student's demonstration that he or she has successfully met the content expectation for the credit area as defined by subject area standards, expectations, or guidelines; and\n\n(23) \"Workforce credential\" means a third-party credential that is: (A) Part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build an individual's qualifications to advance along a career pathway; or (B) A credential that: (i) Verifies an individual's qualification or competence; and (ii) Is: (a) Issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue the credential; or (b) Aligned with high-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board.\n\n(A) Part of a sequence of credentials that can be accumulated over time to build an individual's qualifications to advance along a career pathway; or\n\n(B) A credential that: (i) Verifies an individual's qualification or competence; and (ii) Is: (a) Issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue the credential; or (b) Aligned with high-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board.\n\n(i) Verifies an individual's qualification or competence; and\n\n(ii) Is: (a) Issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue the credential; or (b) Aligned with high-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board.\n\n(a) Issued by a third party with the relevant authority to issue the credential; or\n\n(b) Aligned with high-wage, high-growth jobs in Arkansas, as defined by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board.","path":["AR Code","Title 6","Chapter 44","Subchapter 3"],"source_url":"https://oss-data-us.vaquill.ai/v2026.08/us_ar_statutes.parquet","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:41Z","sha256":"bbf64187925d5fdeff287575c68d58f8ccd35fa41898f408b8f8ec2ead7aa75f","source_id":"us-ar","stale":false,"prev":"us-ar/ark.-code-ann.-6-44-301","next":"us-ar/ark.-code-ann.-6-44-303"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}