TITLE: Relating to statewide goals for dual credit programs provided by school districts.

SUMMARY: Relating to statewide goals for dual credit programs provided by school districts.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to statewide goals for dual credit programs provided by school districts. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 28.009, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsections (b-1) and (b-2) to read as follows: (b-1) The agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board jointly shall develop statewide goals for dual credit programs, including early college high school programs, career and technical education dual credit programs, and joint high school and college credit programs provided under Section 130.008, to provide uniform standards for evaluating those programs. The goals must address, at a minimum: (1) a dual credit program's achievement of enrollment in and acceleration through postsecondary education; (2) performance in college-level coursework; and (3) the development of an effective bridge between secondary and postsecondary education in the state. (b-2) Any agreement, including a memorandum of understanding or articulation agreement, between a school district and public institution of higher education to provide a dual credit program described by Subsection (b-1) must: (1) include specific program goals aligned with the statewide goals developed under Subsection (b-1); (2) establish, or provide a procedure for establishing, the course credits that may be earned under the agreement, including by developing a course equivalency crosswalk or other method for equating high school courses with college courses and identifying the number of credits that may be earned for each course completed through the program; (3) describe the academic supports and, if applicable, guidance that will be provided to students participating in the program; (4) establish the district's and the institution's respective roles and responsibilities in providing the program and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the program; (5) state the sources of funding for 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 program; and (6) be posted each year on the district's and the institution's respective Internet websites. SECTION 2. Not later than August 31, 2018, the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board jointly shall develop the statewide goals required under Section 28.009(b-1), Education Code, as added by this Act. SECTION 3. Section 28.009(b-2), Education Code, as added by this Act, applies only to an agreement to provide a dual credit program entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2018. SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.