What to teach in Iowa
Which courses here cover the required subjects, which subjects they do not, and roughly how many hours they account for.
What Iowa specifies
- Subjects
- Yes — 2 groups of required subjects
- Hours or days
- IPI and non-reporting CPI Option 2: none specified. CPI Option 1/HSAP and CPI with reporting: at least 148 days per year (37 per quarter for licensed-teacher option).
- Assessment
- Not required.
The subjects Iowa requires
- IPI: mathematics, reading and language arts, science, social studies (all grades)
- CPI with assessment: reading, language arts, math (grades 1-5); plus science and social studies (grades 6-12)
Quoted from the statute or regulation cited on the law page. Requirements for Grades K–5 are listed where the state sets them, but this site teaches Grades 6–12, so only those are matched below.
Courses that cover them
Iowa's list touches all four subjects taught here. Each course below is a full year.
Mathematics
| Grade | Course |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | Grade 6 Math |
| Grade 7 | Grade 7 Math |
| Grade 8 | Grade 8 Math |
| Grade 9 | Algebra I |
| Grade 10 | Geometry |
| Grade 11 | Algebra II |
| Grade 12 | Precalculus |
English
Science
| Grade | Course |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | Science 6: Matter, Energy & Earth Systems |
| Grade 7 | Life Science & Scientific Inquiry |
| Grade 8 | Physical Science: Matter, Forces & Energy |
| Grade 9 | Earth & Space Science |
| Grade 10 | Life Science: Biology |
| Grade 11 | Physical Science: Chemistry |
| Grade 12 | Physics & Environmental Science |
Social studies
Each is planned as a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, five a week — the year 20 of the 21 course guides set out explicitly. How long a session runs is yours to set.
Does this meet the hours?
IPI and non-reporting CPI Option 2: none specified. CPI Option 1/HSAP and CPI with reporting: at least 148 days per year (37 per quarter for licensed-teacher option).
Each course here plans a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, five a week — the year 20 of the 21 course guides set out explicitly. The length of a session is left to you, because a Grade 6 session and a Grade 12 one are not the same thing.
Four such courses run across the same 180-session year, so a four-course year meets Iowa's 148 days without any arithmetic: the days are the calendar, not a total to accumulate.
The four high school years
In most states the parent issues the diploma and writes the transcript, which makes the four-year plan the record — there is no school registrar keeping one for you. A full sequence of these courses looks like this.
| Grade | Mathematics | English | Science | Social studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | Algebra I | English 9 | Earth & Space Science | Global History & Geography I |
| Grade 10 | Geometry | English 10 | Life Science | Global History & Geography II |
| Grade 11 | Algebra II | English 11 | Physical Science | United States History & Government |
| Grade 12 | Precalculus | English 12 | Physics & Environmental Science | Government, Civic Participation & Economics |
Four subjects across four years is 16 full-year courses. Credits, grades and the diploma itself are Iowa's business, not this site's — what Iowa says about diplomas and transcripts.
What this site does not teach
Iowa requires one subject that these courses do not cover: art. Saying so plainly is more use than a page implying full coverage. Families commonly meet these through sport clubs, instrument or art lessons, a language app or tutor, and documented family activity — all of which count where the state asks for a log rather than a transcript.