“College readiness is the level of preparation a student must attain in English language arts and mathematics courses to enroll and succeed, without remediation, in an entry-level general education course for credit in that same content area for a baccalaureate degree or associate degree program. It should be noted, however, that the measurement of college readiness through the Algebra II and English III assessments will be only one piece of information that students, parents, and schools will have in making readiness determinations. Algebra II and English III are courses students typically take in grade 11; after students have taken these assessments and potentially met the college-readiness performance standards, they will continue to take higher-level courses (i.e., calculus and English IV) in grade 12. Students will need to continue to acquire content knowledge and perform at a high level in these courses to fully prepare for postsecondary activities.”
Source:
Texas Education Agency. (2010). House Bill 3 transition plan: Chapter 3: The college- and career-readiness component of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End-of-Course (EOC) program. Austin, TX: Author. Retrieved from http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/hb3plan/
- Student achievement status on state tests
- Student growth on state tests
- English language acquisition
- Four-year graduation rate
- Additional graduation rates (five or more years)
- Dropout rate
- Re-engagement of dropouts
- Other, such as the percentage of students earning a GED certificate
- Participation in advanced course work, including AP or IB classes or dual enrollment
- Performance on college entry exams such as SAT, ACT, ACCUPLACER, or COMPASS
- Career preparedness participation, including completing career and technical education classes or WorkKeys assessments and participating in job training
- State exit-level or college placement test
Dual Enrollment and Articulation
Texas state policy allows students to earn dual credit for academic or CTE postsecondary courses taken at their high school, a postsecondary institution, or virtually. It is unclear whether public postsecondary institutions in the state are required to accept dual-enrollment credits (ECS, 2015).
Early College High School
The Communities Foundation of Texas (Texas High School Project), Gateway to College National Network, Middle College National Consortium, and National Council of La Raza have partnered with institutions of higher education to provide 18 Early College High School programs as part of the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI). Texas also has many “affiliated schools” that “are not part of the [ECHSI] but participate in the [University Park Campus School] Institute, adhere to the ECHSI Core Principals, and are funded by the Texas Education Agency.” There are 28 such affiliated schools in Texas (Jobs for the Future, n.d.).
Citations:
Jobs for the Future. (n.d.a). Schools. Retrieved from http://www.jff.org/initiatives/early-college-designs/schools
Jobs for the Future. (n.d.b). University Park Campus School: An unparalleled record of achievement. Retrieved from http://www.jff.org/publications/university-park-campus-school-unparalleled-record-achievement
National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium. (2013a). Texas [Interactive map of state career technical education profiles]. Retrieved from http://careertech.org/texas
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. (2014). Texas [Interactive map of state policies]. Retrieved from http://higheredpolicies.wiche.edu/content/policy/state/TX
Education Commission of the States. (2015). Dual enrollment – all state profiles. Retrieved from http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofallRT?Rep=DE14A
Jobs for the Future. (n.d.a). Schools. Retrieved from http://www.jff.org/initiatives/early-college-designs/schools
Texas has adopted the National Career Clusters Framework and is implementing all 16 Career Clusters. The state makes available more than 120 programs of study covering each of the 16 Career Clusters, primarily through the AchieveTexas inventory.
Citations:
Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2012). Career and technical education—Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and coherent sequences. Retrieved from http://tea.texas.gov/index2.aspx?id=4881
National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (n.d.). Texas [Interactive map of state CTE profiles]. Retrieved from http://careertech.org/Texas
Texas has adopted the National Career Clusters Framework and is implementing all 16 Career Clusters. The state makes available more than 120 programs of study covering each of the 16 Career Clusters, primarily through the AchieveTexas inventory.
Citations:
Texas Education Agency (TEA). (2012). Career and technical education—Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and coherent sequences. Retrieved from http://tea.texas.gov/index2.aspx?id=4881
National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (n.d.). Texas [Interactive map of state CTE profiles]. Retrieved from http://careertech.org/Texas
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High School and College Alignment |
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|
Subject |
High School Graduation Requirements |
College Admission Requirements |
|
English Credits: |
4.0 |
4.0 |
|
Mathematics Credits: |
3.0 (Algebra I, geometry, , and one higher level course) |
4.0 (including Algebra I, Algebra II, and geometry) |
|
Social Studies Credits: |
3.0 (two of the credits must consist of United States History Studies Since 1877 [2.0], U.S. government [1.0/2.0], and Economics with Emphasis on the Free Enterprise System and Its Benefits [1.0/2.0] |
None specified (N/S) |
|
Science Credits: |
2.0 (biology and integrated physics and chemistry) |
4.0 (including two courses from among biology, chemistry, and physics) |
|
Foreign Language Credits: |
2.0 (in same language) |
2.0 (in same language) |
|
Arts Credits: |
1.0 |
N/S |
|
Additional Credits: |
8.5 (including physical education [1.0]) |
N/S |
|
Total Credits: |
26.0 |
14.0 |
|
Tests: |
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills |
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or ACT® |
|
Source: |
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|
Notes: |
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Texas’ state-specific Early Warning System is called the Early Warning Data System (EWDS). Early Warning System data are reported at the student, school, district, or state levels to superintendents, principals, and teachers.
Citations:
Texas Comprehensive Center. (2015). Online Help System. Retrieved from http://txcc.sedl.org/orc/ewds/
Texas Student Data System. (2013). TSDS training. Retrieved from http://www.texasstudentdatasystem.org/TSDS/About/Training/TSDS_Training/
Texas Student Data System. (2013). For principals and superintendents. Retrieved from http://www.texasstudentdatasystem.org/TSDS/About/Get_Involved/For_Principals_and_Superintendents/
