Advanced Opportunities / Fast Forward

Advanced Opportunities - West Ada Guide (PDF)

Advanced Opportunities provides funding that allows students to take dual credit, overload courses, qualifying CTE workforce training, and exams (AP and IB) by accessing funds from the state to pay for these opportunities and better prepare them for their future.  A  Fast Forward Participation form must be completed through the PARENT portal of PowerSchool under update student information.

IMPORTANT: Please note that failure to pass a course you use Fast Forward funds for will result in a hold of future Fast Forward funds for ALL courses! To access additional future funds, students will be required to pay for the next course AND earn credit for that course (pass it) before ANY funds for courses can be accessed.  Your funds will remain frozen for ALL courses until both steps are completed! If you currently have a flag for an unsuccessful course that the state has paid for, the same is true in that you must pay for the next course AND earn credit for that course (pass it) before ANY funds for courses can be accessed.   Failure to meet the AP exam requirements will cause an exam flag and will also freeze Fast Forward funds for all exams until the next one is paid for.  Please see the Fast Forward Flags-Unsuccessful Attempts for further FAQ’s. 

Overload Courses

Overload courses must be high school level courses. A student must be enrolled in a full credit load within a given school year to be eligible for funding of an overload course. A full course load is defined by the state as 12 credits. Overload course cannot be repeat courses and must be high school credit courses. An overload course must be taken for high school credit to be eligible for funding. Overload classes taken through an Idaho public school, such as a public high school or IDLA, can be paid directly by the state to the school. Courses taken through other institutions will need to be paid for in advance by the parent or student and reimbursed by the state.

Concurrent Credit

Concurrent Credit (dual credit) courses involve students being enrolled in two different institutions at the same time, such as a college course taught at the high school.  Concurrent credit classes are taught on a comparable level to a freshman college course, so they are expected to work at the college level. Students will earn  high school credit and  college credit for the course as long as they pass with the necessary grade and they paid for the college credit (credits are paid for by the Sate using Fast Forward Funds if you request them). Prior to offering a concurrent credit class a teacher must be cleared by the college or university to teach a college level course. It's important to know that the grade earned in a concurrent credit class will be recorded on the students college transcripts. Most credits transfer to colleges and universities; however, as a precaution before registering for concurrent credit students/parents should check with the colleges and universities they are considering attending to confirm their policies. 

The following classes are offered for concurrent credit at IFAA: 

Advanced Placement Courses/Exams

Advanced Placement Exams can be paid for using Fast Forward funds. However, as per state statute, these funds will be frozen next year if a student earns less than a 2 or fails to sit for an AP examination that was paid for using these funds.

Workforce Training

Workforce Training Courses must be at an Idaho public technical college, lead to an industry-recognized certificate, license or degree in an industry that is currently in demand, and must not be available at the students high school. These courses are non-credit courses and may vary in length.