Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Authority.
These rules are authorized by Texas Education Code §§
28.009(b),
130.001(b)(3) -
(4), and
130.008.
(b) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to
encourage and authorize public institutions of higher education to deliver
innovatively designed dual credit or dual enrollment courses that integrate
both college-level content in the core curriculum of the institution alongside
college-readiness content and skills instruction. These innovatively designed
courses will allow students the maximum flexibility to obtain college credit
and provide integrated college readiness skills to students who are on the
continuum of college readiness and will benefit from exposure to college-level
content.
(c) Student eligibility.
An eligible student must be enrolled in a public school district or
open-enrollment charter as defined in Texas Education Code §
5.001(6).
An institution of higher education may offer College Connect Courses to:
(1) A student who has met the college
readiness standards set forth in subchapter C, §
4.57 of this chapter (relating to
College Ready Standards); or
(2) A
student who has not yet demonstrated college readiness by achieving minimum
passing standards set forth in §
4.57 of this chapter, if the
student is:
(A) a non-degree-seeking or
non-certificate seeking student under Texas Education Code §
51.338(a);
and
(B) has earned not more than 14
semester credit hours of college credits at an institution of higher education;
or
(C) a student who is otherwise
exempt from the Texas Success Initiative, as set forth in subchapter C, §
4.54 of this chapter (relating to
Exemptions, Exceptions, and Waivers).
(d) An institution may add eligibility
requirements for students qualifying under subsection (c)(2)(A) and (B) of this
section.
(e) Course content. The
following standards apply to delivery of College Connect Courses offered under
this rule:
(1) An institution of higher
education may offer College Connect Courses within the institution's core
curriculum in accordance with subchapter B, §
4.28 of this chapter (relating to
Core Curriculum).
(2) An
institution of higher education must also incorporate supplemental college
readiness content to support students who have not yet demonstrated college
readiness as defined in §
4.57 of this chapter within these
courses. An institution may deliver this supplemental instruction through a
method at their discretion, including through embedded course content,
supplemental corequisite coursework, or other method.
(f) Coordinating Board staff may provide
technical assistance to public institutions of higher education and secondary
schools and districts in developing and providing these courses.
(g) Additional Academic Policies.
(1) College Connect Courses offered through
dual credit or dual enrollment must confer both a college-level grade and a
secondary-level grade upon a student's successful completion of the course. A
grade conferred for the college-level course may be different from the
secondary-level grade, to reflect whether a student has appropriately
demonstrated college-level knowledge and skills as well as secondary-level
knowledge and skills. An institution may determine how a student enrolled in
this course may earn college credit, whether through college-level course
completion or successful completion of a recognized college-level
assessment.
(2) An institution of
higher education must enter into an institutional agreement with the secondary
school according to §
4.84 of this chapter (relating to
Institutional Agreements) to offer College Connect Courses.
(3) An institution of higher education is
strongly encouraged to provide the maximum latitude possible for a student to
withdraw from the college-level course component beyond the census date, while
still giving the student an opportunity to earn credit toward high school
graduation requirements.
(4) Hours
earned through this program before the student graduates from high school that
are used to satisfy high school graduation requirements do not count against
the limitation on formula funding for excess semester credit hours under
chapter 13, subchapter F, §
13.104 of this title (relating to
Exemptions for Excess Hours).
(h) Funding and Tuition. For College Connect
Courses offered through dual credit under this option:
(1) An institution of higher education may
receive formula funding for College Connect Course semester credit hours in
accordance with Texas Education Code §
61.059 and chapter
130, subchapter A, and any Coordinating Board rules that authorize funding for
courses offered under this section.
(2) An institution of higher education may
waive a student's tuition for College Connect Courses in accordance with Texas
Education Code §§
54.216 and
28.0095.
