SECTION 4.84. Institutional Agreements

(a) Need for Institutional Agreements. For any dual credit partnership between a secondary school and a public college, an agreement must be approved by the governing boards or designated authorities (e.g., principal and chief academic officer) of both the public school district or private secondary school and the public college prior to the offering of such courses.

(b) Elements of Institutional Agreements. Any dual credit agreement must address the following elements:

(1) Eligible Courses;

(2) Student Eligibility;

(3) Location of Class;

(4) Student Composition of Class;

(5) Faculty Selection, Supervision, and Evaluation;

(6) Course Curriculum, Instruction, and Grading;

(7) Academic Policies and Student Support Services;

(8) Transcripting of Credit;

(9) Funding; and

(10) Defined sequences of courses, where applicable.

(c) Institutional Agreement between Public Institution of Higher Education and Public School District. Any agreement entered into or renewed between a public institution of higher education and public school district on or after September 1, 2021, including a memorandum of understanding or articulation agreement, must:

(1) include specific program goals aligned with the statewide goals developed under TEC 28.009, Subsection (b-1);

(2) establish common advising strategies and terminology related to dual credit and college readiness;

(3) provide for the alignment of endorsements described by Section 28.025 (c-1) offered by the district, and dual credit courses offered under the agreement that apply towards those endorsements, with postsecondary pathways and credentials at the institution and industry certifications;

(4) identify tools, including tools developed by the Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, or the Texas Workforce Commission, to assist counselors, students, and families in selecting endorsements offered by the district and dual credit courses offered under the agreement;

(5) establish, or provide a procedure for establishing, the course credits that may be earned under the agreement, including developing a course equivalency crosswalk or other method of equating high school courses with college courses and identifying the number of credits that may be earned for each course completed through the program;

(6) describe the academic supports and, if applicable, guidance that will be provided to students participating in the program;

(7) establish the institution of higher education's and the school district's respective roles and responsibilities in providing the program and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the program;

(8) 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;

(9) require the district and the institution to consider the use of free or low-cost open educational resources in courses offered under the program;

(10) designate at least one employee of the district or institution as responsible for providing academic advising to a student who enrolls in a dual credit course under the program before the student begins the course; and

(11) be posted each year on the institution of higher education's and the school district's respective Internet websites.

Source Note: The provisions of this §4.84 adopted to be effective May 27, 2003, 28 TexReg 4114; amended to be effective February 15, 2018, 43 TexReg 759; amended to be effective May 22, 2019, 44 TexReg 2452; amended to be effective November 24, 2019, 44 TexReg 7048; amended to be effective November 11, 2021, 46 TexReg 7599