Current through Reg. 50, No. 13; March 28, 2025
(a) Definitions. The following words and
terms, when used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1)
Benchmarks--The standards for program implementation that are included in the
blueprints.
(2) Blueprint--The
document that outlines the College and Career Readiness School Models (CCRSM)
requirements, including benchmarks, design elements, artifacts, and
outcomes-based measures.
(3)
Business or industry partner--Employers who enter into a formal agreement with
a Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) to support
work-based learning (WBL).
(4)
Design elements--The processes, structures, or services within each benchmark
that a CCRSM campus must fulfill.
(5) Designated campus--A CCRSM campus with
six or more years of implementation that has met outcomes-based measures (OBMs)
necessary for designation.
(6)
Designated with Distinction campus--A CCRSM campus with seven or more years of
implementation that has met Designated with Distinction OBMs.
(7) Early College High School (ECHS)--A
school established under Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.908, that enables
a student in Grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 who is at risk of dropping out of school,
as defined by TEC, §
29.081, or who wishes
to accelerate completion of high school to combine high school courses and
college-level courses. An ECHS program must provide for a course of study that,
on or before the fifth anniversary of a student's first day of high school,
enables a participating student to receive both a high school diploma and
either an applied or academic associate degree, with a completed field of study
curriculum, as defined by TEC, §
61.823, that is
transferable toward a baccalaureate degree at one or more general academic
teaching institutions, as defined by TEC, §
61.003.
(8) Institution of higher education (IHE)--An
institution of higher education has the meaning assigned by TEC, §
61.003.
(9) Needs improvement campus--A CCRSM campus
with six or more years of implementation that has not met OBMs necessary for
designation.
(10) Optional Flexible
School Day Program (OFSDP)--A program approved by the commissioner of education
to provide flexible hours and days of attendance for eligible students in
Grades 9-12, as defined in §
129.1027 of this title (relating
to Optional Flexible School Day Program).
(11) Outcomes-based measures--The data
indicators related to access, achievement, and attainment that a CCRSM campus
is required to meet to achieve a status of Designated or Designated with
Distinction.
(12) Pathways in
Technology Early College High School--A school established under TEC, §
29.553, that enables a
student in Grades 9, 10, 11, or 12 who is at risk of dropping out of school, as
defined by TEC, §
29.081, or who wishes
to accelerate completion of high school to combine high school and
postsecondary courses. A P-TECH program must be open enrollment and provide for
a course of study that, on or before the sixth anniversary of a student's first
day of high school, enables a participating student to receive both a high
school diploma and an associate degree, a two-year postsecondary certificate,
or an industry certification, and must include a work-based education
program.
(13) Planning campus--A
CCRSM campus with zero years of implementation.
(14) Provisional campus--A CCRSM campus with
one to five years of implementation.
(15) School district--For the purposes of
this section, the definition of school district includes an open- enrollment
charter school.
(16) Work-based
education program--Practical, hands-on activities or experiences through which
a learner interacts with industry professionals in a workplace that may be an
in-person, virtual, or simulated setting. Learners prepare for employment or
advancement along a career pathway by completing purposeful tasks that develop
academic, technical, and employability skills. A work-based education program
is also known as work-based learning.
(b) Conditions for approval of CCRSM status.
(1) Conditions for approval of a Planning
campus.
(A) Applicant eligibility. Any school
district may submit a separate application on behalf of each campus it requests
to be considered as a Planning campus.
(B) Application process. A school district
must submit each application in accordance with the program application cycle
(PAC) procedures determined by the commissioner.
(C) Planning campus timeline. A planning
campus shall be eligible to apply for Provisional campus status after the
mandatory planning year.
(2) Conditions for approval of a Provisional
campus.
(A) Applicant eligibility. Any
Planning campus or approved provisional campus may submit an application to be
considered as a Provisional campus.
(B) Application process. Any Planning campus
or approved Provisional campus must submit each application in accordance with
the PAC procedures determined by the commissioner.
(C) Provisional campus timeline. A
Provisional campus shall be eligible to apply to renew its status as a
Provisional campus yearly for up to five years.
(3) Conditions for approval of a Designated
campus.
(A) Applicant eligibility. A
Provisional campus entering its fifth year of operation may submit an
application on behalf of the campus it requests to be considered as a
Designated campus.
(B) Application
process. A prospective Designated campus must submit each application in
accordance with the PAC procedures determined by the commissioner. Campuses
must meet access, achievement, and attainment OBM criteria and implement all
design elements in order to receive CCRSM Designated status.
(C) Designated campus timeline. A Designated
campus shall be eligible to apply to renew its status as a Designated campus
yearly.
(4) Conditions
for approval of a Designated with Distinction campus.
(A) Applicant eligibility. A Designated
campus may qualify for Designated with Distinction status in one or more of the
following OBM distinction criteria areas beginning in its seventh year of
operation:
(B) Application process. A prospective
Designated with Distinction campus must submit each application in accordance
with the PAC procedures determined by the commissioner. The campus application
in the PAC will serve as the Designated with Distinction application. Campuses
must meet access, achievement, and attainment designated with distinction OBM
criteria and implement all design elements in order to receive CCRSM Designated
with Distinction status.
(C)
Designated with Distinction campus timeline. A Designated with Distinction
campus shall qualify to renew its status as a Designated with Distinction
campus yearly.
(c) Needs Improvement and revocation of CCRSM
status.
(1) Determination of CCRSM Needs
Improvement status. If the conditions of approval for CCRSM Designated status
are not met, including failure to meet the required OBM designated criteria,
the CCRSM campus will be classified as a CCRSM Needs Improvement
campus.
(2) Needs Improvement
campus timeline. A Needs Improvement campus is required to remain in the Needs
Improvement status for a period of three school years following campus
notification of the Needs Improvement status. During the three years of Needs
Improvement status, the campus is required to complete the PAC for Needs
Improvement progress reports.
(3)
Needs Improvement progress monitoring. During the three years of Needs
Improvement status, the campus will receive targeted technical assistance at no
cost to the CCRSM to improve OBMs.
(4) Fulfillment of CCRSM Needs Improvement
requirements. Following completion of the three-year Needs Improvement period
and upon successfully meeting the OBM designation criteria, the CCRSM will move
out of the Needs Improvement status and into the Designated or Designated with
Distinction status.
(5) Revocation
of CCRSM status. Following completion of the mandatory three years of Needs
Improvement status, if a CCRSM does not successfully meet the OBM designation
criteria, the authorization of the campus as a CCRSM will be revoked and the
campus will be removed from the CCRSM network.
(d) Notification timeline. TEA will notify
each applicant of its selection or non-selection as a CCRSM Planning,
Provisional, Designated, Designated with Distinction, or Needs Improvement
campus. The designation notification will be sent no later than the summer
following the submission of the campus application in the PAC. Campuses
selected for Planning, Provisional, Designated, and Designated with Distinction
status will be publicly identified on TEA's website and will be identified as
such in designation status notification to the district and to the IHE partner
listed in the CCRSM PAC. Campuses in Needs Improvement status will not be
publicly identified but will be identified as Needs Improvement in the
designation status notification sent to the district and to the IHE partner
listed in the CCRSM PAC.
(e)
Conditions of CCRSM program operation.
(1) As
established under TEC, §
29.908, an ECHS must:
(A) enable a student in Grade 9, 10, 11, or
12 who is at risk of dropping out of school, as defined by TEC, §
29.081, or who wishes
to accelerate completion of high school to provide for a course of study that
enables a participating student to combine high school courses and
college-level courses;
(B) allow
participating students to complete high school and enroll in a program at an
IHE that will enable a student to, on or before the fifth anniversary of a
student's first day of high school, receive a high school diploma and either an
applied or academic associate degree, with a completed field of study
curriculum, as defined by TEC, §
61.823, that is
transferable toward a baccalaureate degree at one or more general academic
teaching institutions, as defined by TEC, §
61.003;
(C) include articulation agreements with
colleges, universities, and technical schools in Texas to provide a
participating student access to postsecondary educational and training
opportunities at a college, university, or technical school; and
(D) provide a participating student
flexibility in class scheduling and academic mentoring.
(2) As established under TEC, §
29.553, a P-TECH must:
(A) be open enrollment and enable a student
in Grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 who is at risk of dropping out of school, as defined
by TEC, §
29.081, or who wishes
to accelerate completion of high school to combine high school courses and
postsecondary courses;
(B) provide
for a course of study that, on or before the sixth anniversary of a student's
first day of high school, enables a participating student to receive both a
high school diploma and an associate degree, a two-year postsecondary
certificate, or an industry certification and complete work-based
training;
(C) include articulation
agreements with colleges, universities, and technical schools in Texas to
provide a participating student access to postsecondary educational and
training opportunities at a college, university, or technical school;
(D) include a memorandum of understanding
with regional business or industry partners to provide a participating student
access to work-based training;
(E)
include in each memorandum of understanding with a regional business or
industry partner an agreement that the regional business or industry partner
will give to a student who receives work-based training from the partner under
the P-TECH program first priority in interviewing for any jobs for which the
student is qualified that are available on the students' completion of the
program; and
(F) provide a
participating student flexibility in class scheduling and academic
mentoring.
(3) The CCRSM
must comply with all the requirements outlined in the CCRSM blueprints. If a
CCRSM chooses to discontinue CCRSM operations, the CCRSM must ensure previously
enrolled CCRSM students will have the opportunity to complete their course of
study. The CCRSM must notify TEA of its decision to discontinue operations and
submit an official letter from the district superintendent with the district
decision.
(4) A school district
operating a CCRSM program must comply with all assurances included in the
program application submitted through the PAC. If the CCRSM changes the
location of the CCRSM, the CCRSM model, or the IHE partner outside of the PAC,
the CCRSM must notify TEA of the change.
(5) CCRSM approval is valid for a maximum of
one school year.
(6) The CCRSM
program must be provided at no cost to CCRSM students. A student enrolled in a
CCRSM program may not be required to pay for tuition, fees, or required
textbooks for any coursework. The school district in which the student is
enrolled shall pay for tuition, fees, and required textbooks, to the extent
those charges are not waived by the IHE.
(7) P-TECH Year 5 and 6 students are not
counted for accountability purposes.
(f) Programs available to an approved CCRSM.
(1) Approval as a CCRSM will allow a campus
to access programs available to CCRSM programs.
(2) An approved CCRSM campus may access the
OFSDP defined in §
129.1027 of this title. An
approved CCRSM campus is eligible for OFSDP but must apply separately in
accordance with TEC, §
29.0822, and
procedures established by the commissioner.
(3) Approval as a P-TECH will allow a campus
to access programs available to the P-TECH, including participation in a Year 5
and Year 6 P-TECH program.
(4)
P-TECH Year 5 and 6 students are not counted for accountability
purposes.
(g) Evaluation
of a CCRSM program. Evaluation of the CCRSM program will occur through the PAC
and using self-reported data provided by the campus to generate OBM data.
Progress monitoring will also occur at the campus level through campus coaching
provided through state-appointed technical assistance.
(h) Revocation of authority.
(1) The commissioner may deny renewal or
revoke the authorization of a CCRSM program based on the following factors:
(A) noncompliance with application assurances
and/or the provisions of this section;
(B) lack of program success as evidenced by
progress reports and program OBM data;
(C) failure to meet performance standards
specified in the application and/or CCRSM blueprints; or
(D) failure to provide accurate, timely, and
complete information as required by TEA to evaluate the effectiveness of the
CCRSM program.
(2) A
decision by the commissioner to deny renewal as or revoke authorization of a
CCRSM is final and may not be appealed.
(3) The commissioner may impose sanctions on
a school district as authorized by TEC, Chapters 39 and 39A, for failure to
comply with the requirements of this section.