SECTION 74.26. Award of Credit

(a) The award of credit for a course by a school district affirms that a student has satisfactorily met all state and local requirements. Any course for which credit is awarded must be provided according to this subsection.

(1) Credit earned toward state graduation requirements by a student in an accredited school district shall be transferable and must be accepted by any other school district in the state. A district may not prohibit a new student from attending school pending receipt of transcripts or records from the school district the student previously attended. Credit earned in a local-credit course may be transferred only with the consent of the receiving school district.

(2) A school district must ensure that the records or transcripts of an out-of-state or out-of-country transfer student (including foreign exchange students) or a transfer student from a Texas nonpublic school are evaluated and that the student is placed in appropriate classes promptly. The district may use a variety of methods to verify the content of courses for which a transfer student has earned credit.

(b) Districts may offer courses designated for Grades 9-12 (refer to §74.11 of this title (relating to High School Graduation Requirements)) in earlier grade levels. A course must be considered completed and credit must be awarded if the student has demonstrated achievement by meeting the standard requirements of the course, including demonstrated proficiency in the subject matter, regardless of the time the student has received instruction in the course or the grade level at which proficiency was attained. The academic achievement record (transcript) shall reflect that students have satisfactorily completed courses at earlier grade levels than Grades 9-12 and have been awarded state graduation credits.

(c) Credit for courses for high school graduation may be earned only if the student received a grade which is the equivalent of 70 on a scale of 100, based upon the essential knowledge and skills for each course.

(d) In accordance with local district policy, students who are able to successfully complete only half of a course can be awarded credit proportionately.

(e) A school district shall award credit proportionately to a student who is homeless or in substitute care who successfully completes only half of a course.

Source Note: The provisions of this §74.26 adopted to be effective September 1, 1996, 21 TexReg 4311; amended to be effective September 1, 1998, 23 TexReg 5675; amended to be effective September 1, 2001, 25 TexReg 7691; amended to be effective November 24, 2015, 40 TexReg 8209; amended to be effective March 15, 2020, 45 TexReg 1708