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House Bill 1638: Statewide Dual Credit Goals

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September 20, 2018

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

Subject:  House Bill 1638:  Statewide Dual Credit Goals

House Bill 1638 (85th Legislature, Regular Session), as codified in Texas Education Code, Section 28.009 (b-1) and (b-2), requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to collaboratively develop statewide goals for dual credit programs in Texas. These goals provide guidance to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and independent school districts (ISDs) on components that must be in place to ensure quality dual credit programs are provided to Texas high school students. These statewide goals address enrollment in and acceleration through postsecondary education, performance in college-level coursework, and strong academic advising.

All dual credit programs are required to establish a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the IHE and ISD that details the terms of the partnership. HB 1638 requires that on or after September 1, 2018, any new, revised, or renewed dual credit MOU or articulation agreement must include the following:

  • A description of how the goals of the dual credit program align with the statewide goals;
  • A course equivalency crosswalk or other method of equating high school courses with college courses that identifies the number of credits that may be earned for each course completed through the dual credit program;
  • A description of the academic supports and guidance that will be provided to students participating in the dual credit program;
  • A description of the ISD and IHE respective roles and responsibilities in providing for and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the dual credit program; and
  • A description of the sources of funding for dual credit courses offered under the program including, at a minimum, the sources of funding for tuition, transportation, and any required fees or textbooks for students participating in the dual credit program.

On or after September 1, 2018, and each subsequent year, all dual credit MOUs, regardless if new, revised, or renewed, must be posted each year to the ISDs and IHEs respective websites.

The statewide dual credit goals are as follows:

Goal 1: Independent school districts and institutions of higher education will implement purposeful and collaborative outreach efforts to inform all students and parents of the benefits and costs of dual credit, including enrollment and fee policies.

  • Measures of Implementation:
    Documentation summarizing collaboration and outreach efforts of IHEs and secondary school partners will be readily available and posted.

    Examples of items to include in documentation:
    • Collaboration between ISDs and IHE partner(s) to host informational sessions for students and parents on dual credit opportunities, benefits and cost
    • ISD and IHE dual credit webpages reflect the most current dual credit program information including enrollment and fee policies
    • Hosting dual credit 101 sessions for high school counselors
    • Collaboration between ISDs and IHE partner(s) on a marketing campaign

Goal 2: Dual credit programs will assist high school students in the successful transition to and acceleration through postsecondary education.

  • Metric:
    Analysis of measures in enrollment in and persistence through postsecondary education, disaggregated by student sub-population.

    Examples of items included in analysis:
    • Student enrollment in postsecondary after high school
    • Time to degree completion
    • Semester credit hours to degree

Goal 3: All dual credit students will receive academic and college readiness advising with access to student support services to bridge them successfully into college course completion.

  • Metric:
    Analysis of measures in enrollment and degree completion, disaggregated by student sub-population.

    Examples of items included in analysis:
    • Student enrollment in postsecondary after high school
    • Time to degree completion
    • Decrease in excess number of semester hours beyond required hours to degree completion

Goal 4: The quality and rigor of dual credit courses will be sufficient to ensure student success in subsequent courses.

  • Metric:
    Analysis of performance in subsequent course work.

Questions regarding dual credit programs related to IHEs can be sent to Andrew.Lofters@THECB.state.tx.us.

Questions regarding dual credit programs related to ISDs can be sent to dualcredit@tea.texas.gov.

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