This report covers the responses House Higher Education received for their RFI on Charge #1, relating to the implementation of HB 1638, SB 18, and SB 25. The RFI for this charge can be found here and a complete list of responses can be found here.
The HillCo report below is a summary of information intended to give you an overview and highlight of the various topics included in the responses. This report does not cover the entirety of each response, but aims to provide an overview of the testimony submitted.
Â
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- HB 1638 (85R) relates to statewide goals for dual credit programs
- SB 25 (86R) relates to measures to facilitate the transfer, academic progress, and timely graduation of students in public higher education
- SB 28 (86R) relates to the protection of expressive activities at public institutions of higher education
- The following goals were set by the board for HB 1638:
- School districts and institutions of higher education will implement efforts to inform students and parents about enrollment and fee policies with provided documentation
- Dual credit programs assist students in transition and acceleration in post-secondary education by analyzing measures of enrollment through education separated by student sub-population
- All dual credit students will receive academic and college readiness advising; will analyze by enrollment and degree completion; separated by student subpopulation
- Quality and rigor of college courses will be sufficient in ensuring students’ future success
- SB 25 requires:
- Institutions to provide annually to the Coordinating Board and Legislature report detailing nontransferable credit for transfer students
- Reporting why a student may not receive academic credit at an institution or if a student has declared a major and not changed majors, how their credit would go towards their major
- Public community colleges to report courses taken by students who transferred to a general academic teaching institution or earned an associate degree at the college
- Engaging in negotiated rulemaking with institutions for rules relating to course sequences starting with the 2021-2022 academic year
- Changes requirements for filing of a degree plan; extends the requirement to dual credit students
- The Coordinating Board to get consent from a student to share their application for admission to another institution if denied admission to their preferred degree plan
- ApplyTexas must provide consent language
- Coordinating Board collects data required to produce the community college report; first report scheduled to legislature by March 1, 2021
- Coordinating Board structured a negotiated rulemaking committee of representatives from higher education institutions
- Each institution to develop at least one recommended course sequence for each undergraduate certificate or degree program offered
- Requirements start with the 2021-2022 academic year; Coordinating Board seeking nominations in 30-60 days
- Coordinating Board structured a negotiated rulemaking committee of representatives
- Coordinating Board staff is currently engaging stakeholders in discussions on transfer policy
- Staff expect to meet November 1st, 2020; report is due by March 21, 2021
- Committee must study and make recommendations to the CBÂ regarding the effectiveness of the course credit transfer between institutions for core courses
- The following outlines TEA’s statewide dual credit goals relating to HB 1638:
- 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
- Dual credit programs will assist high school students in the successful transition to and acceleration through postsecondary education
- 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
- The quality and rigor of dual credit courses will be sufficient to ensure student success in subsequent courses
- Provides an overview of what dual credit looks across the state and across grade levels
- Outlines the definitional differences between college ready, dual credit eligible, and college/career/military readiness indicators
- Provides data that show dual enrollment leading to positive impacts for students
Texas A&M University System Â
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Concerned with lack of rigor in “college readiness” programs
- Dual credit presentations and resources vary widely across the state
- Supports greater consistency in dual credit courses and students’ preparation for subsequent college courses
- Regarding SB 25:
- Current data cannot identify patterns where course applicability is not occurring
- Supports THECB’s examination of its data structures to transform data systems to identify where applicability is not occurring
Texas State University SystemÂ
- Regarding SB 18:
- Plan to change all campus grounds to traditional public forums to protect the expressive rights of a person while keeping them safe; review of System’s policies is ongoing
- Regarding SB 25:
- Supports creating a program of recent college graduates with the most up-to date training and college advising knowledge
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Findings from a 2018 study overviews the pros and cons of dual credit from a student and faculty point of view
- UT System along with the Board of Regents approved all institutional policies to SB 18 at a meeting on May 6, 2020
- 2017 task force recommended dual enrollment be enhanced through expansion of access, funding increases and alignment of courses
- Regarding SB 18:
- UT System Board of Regents rule changes were most substantial in speech and assembly, solicitation, category of facilities and authorized users, and solicitation
- Bill requires by December 1, 2020, each institution must submit to the Governor and Legislature and implement changes to their website of the bill
- Regarding SB 25:
- Due to limited access, restrictions, and costs the ERC is not reaching its full potential to examine the transfer student pipeline
- Dramatic increase in dual credit participation leading to college credit
- Should not rely on transfer students self-reporting courses they have taken at two-year universities
- Would be beneficial for universities to access students’ academic records via a secure portal
- Notes their membership in the Texas Transfer Alliance among other transfer student initiatives
Texas Association of Community CollegesÂ
- Regarding SB 25:
- Provides an overview of the numerous transfer student alliances and council memberships
- Need a statewide database that shares IHE degree requirement information to high schools
- Need to standardize course numbering conventions
- State should provide additional funding for student services to hire more advisors and engage them in professional development
Priscilla Comacho, Alamo Colleges District
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Provides an overview of the district’s strategic plan
- Recommends a weighted state funding stream for low-income students to access dual credit
- As was a part of their 2019 legislative agenda
- COVID-19 related issues include budget, training, and varied learning management systems
- Provides an overview of their responses to COVID-19 including the creation of a Multiple Measures plan to ensure the delivery of standardized tests
- Regarding SB 25:
- Provides an overview of initiatives to streamline the transfer process including the creation of Transfer Advising Guides
- Have created a pathway model that organizes all degrees and certificates at Alamo Colleges
- Need to ensure high school counselors are in constant conversations with affiliated institutions
- Additional resources and technical assistance are needed to aid in information sharing between IHE and high schools
Suzanne Shipley, Midwestern State University
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Provides an overview as to why the dual credit population has flatlined or decreased in Region IX including competing online dual credit options such as UTRamps
- MSU has offered courses at lower rates in order to aid with the financial obstacles families are facing due to COVID-19
- Have offered discounts for tuition for master’s level courses/degrees to incentivize teachers to become qualified to teach on a college level
- Need to provide high school teachers with more opportunities to become qualified to teach at a college level
- Need to create uniformity in calculating GPA among AP and IB courses
- Regarding SB 18: provides an overview of related policy changes
- Regarding SB 25:
- Need better data, quality assurance, alignment of sources to understand why some degrees are not accepting particular credits
- Need to standardize content and quality of courses intended to transfer
- High school counselors should be trained in the process of higher education admission
- Need to create partnerships between high school counselors and higher education advisors
Stephen F. Austin State UniversityÂ
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Problems meeting various needs for individual school districts in different locations
- As a result of COVID-19, have problems communicating with districts
- Provides an overview of attempts to communicate effectively to ISDs and community colleges
- Need to monitor quality, rigor and proctor performance of now-online courses
- Need a way to structure the cost of dual credit courses so they are price comparably
- Regarding SB 18:
- Describes related training delivered via email and the bill’s implementation timeline
- Regarding SB 25:
- Need to enhance the applicability of dual credit courses taken in high school that apply to bachelor’s degrees
- Need data analysis on high school graduates that entered higher education with dual credit coursework to determine time to degree completion
- Need data analysis on transferability and applicability of workforce courses versus academic courses
- Need to investigate full usage of associate degrees earned while in high school and fully applying to completed bachelor’s degrees
- Recommends the statewide implementation of the Texas Common Course Numbering System
- Recommends development of a dual credit advisory board to develop best practices
- Advisors could train school counselors on new statewide dual credit advising requirements
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Does not offer dual credit courses; offers dual enrollment educational opportunity to high school students through the OnRamps Program
- OnRamps is an online-delivered program; did not have to transition due to COVID-19
- Provided an overview of the steps taken to ensure access to quality course experiences
- OnRamps partnered with the TEA to offer five modules from their Distance Learning Catalog
- Regarding SB 18: adopted new rules in conformance with the new law
- Regarding SB 25:
- Allows students to run degree audits at any time to monitor degree progress
- Developed at least one recommended course sequence for each certificate or undergraduate degree
- In partnership with other companies to build a student-facing online tool; MapMyPath
- Tool aims to make credit transferability and application more transparent
- Supports district-level adoption of strategies to transitions from K12 to higher education
- The following recommendations relate to dual credit/college acceleration programs:
- States should fund data collection, analysis, and research to better create college acceleration opportunities
- Postsecondary institutions can use student outcome data to evaluate success of their programs
- Schools can use it to see if an offering or instructor leads to better future student outcomes
- Can require postsecondary institutions and K-12 schools to periodically review standards, curriculum, etc. to ensure the quality of acceleration programs
- The state can enact guidelines to ensure consistent application of college credit among K-12, two-year and four-year institutions
- States can review their CTE pathways to adjust and update college acceleration opportunities
- Postsecondary and K-12 can work with state and other industries to allow different professions to highlight different areas
- States can fund college acceleration opportunities to eliminate costs for students
- Cost savings could be found through:
- Ensuring the cost of dual enrollment courses are equal to or less than the cost of the postsecondary course outside of the dual credit program
- Requiring districts to share a student’s funding while the student is enrolled in a dual enrollment course with the postsecondary institution in which the dual credit is attempted
- States can use different metrics to determine program eligibility such as school grades or a portfolio
- States can partner with organizations like the College Board and others to expand college acceleration opportunities for more students
- Schools can create incentives to encourage classroom teachers to become qualified college acceleration opportunity educators
- Provides an overview on what states, postsecondary institutions and schools/educators/advisors can do to increase effectiveness of student advising
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Dual credit enrollment in Texas grew by more than 750% from 2000 to 2017
- Due to COVID-19, there has been declining dual credit enrollment for some institutions
- A wide variation between quality and funding of programs across districts and IHEs
- Are serious problems in dual credit course sequencing and transferability; need to remedy this
- Due to COVID-19, dual credit may be turned to as a vital source of revenue
- Provides an overview of the institutions who have improved the credit transfer process and have strengthened student pathways
- Dallas County Community College District is an institution with “seamless” credit transfer
- Need student-facing data tools showing key outcomes by degree program
- Community college Success Points formula can be altered to increase weights on meaningful credit completion, degrees and certificates, and 4-year transfer
- Estimated $120 million is lost annually for students and taxpayers due to credit transfer barriers
- Need statewide common course numbering or establish guaranteed transfer pathways for lower-level courses
- Need shared standards for dual credit courses such as with the AP program
- Need public reporting on dual credit funding agreements
- Regarding SB 25:
- Data sharing between THECB and TEA should provide institutions with specific information on which students are losing significant amounts of credit
- State can supporting counselors and advisors by leveraging technology and AI platforms to create intuitive and tailored student-facing resources
- Provides extensive dual enrollment data
Andrea Cortinas, The University of Texas at El Paso
- Provides an overview of UTEP’s implementation of HB 449, HB 1735, and SB 212
- Regarding SB 18:
- Have adopted policies consistent with the bill; launched an ongoing education campaign
- Coordinated with The University of Texas System to ensure compliance of new regulations and shared best practices
- Regarding SB 25:
- Universities do not use or depend on data from TEA for purposes of determining the transfer of credit from one college to another
- Should offer school counselors and advisors joint professional development opportunities with college advisors; non-adhoc
- State should consider continued investment in Texas OnCourse Platform
- Should consider bringing college advisors and high school counselors to use the platform to make communication and translation easier
Mike Reeser, Texas State Technical College
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Most technical pathway offerings require hands-on lab instruction; was altered by COVID-19
- Provided face-to-face alternative lab time when schools cancelled their face-to-face instruction
- This created confusion for students; student response has been slow and engagement down
- Requests for credentialed off-site instruction have been paused
- Developed an Instructional Continuity Plan that shifts programs online or to a hybrid format
- Need to continue offering dual enrollment courses that follow TEA Programs of Study
- Need to find a better way to align TEKS and college WECM course outcomes
- Need to provide more training and resources for high school counselors on opportunities within higher education
- Regarding SB 25:
- TREx needs to be universally used to facilitate data collection/sharing between THECB and TEA
- Universal use of TREx would assist colleges and students with transferable credits
Texas Tech University
- Relating to SB 18:
- Have incorporated the bill into Texas Tech University System Regulation 07.04
- System and university leaders involved in educating or disciplining students were educated on the new regulation
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Saw no COVID-19 related interruptions with TTU OnRamps (dual enrollment program)
- Developed online enrollment procedures regardless of fall term start dates
- Regarding SB 25:
- Unclear where THECB and TEA can improve on data collection and sharing
- School counselors should be trained on what dual credit classes are transferrable as core courses
Angelo State University
- Regarding HB 1638:
- Saw inequities with dual enrollment students having internet access
- Brings up issues with THECB regulation over certain dual credit courses
- Need to modify either interpretation of or physically modify Education Code Section 130.008 to include public senior colleges or universities
- Regarding SB 25:
- Unclear where THECB and TEA can improve on data collection and sharing
- School counselors should be trained on what dual credit classes are transferrable as core courses
Texas Tech University Health Sciences El Paso
- Regarding HB 1638: do not offer dual credit programs, but has developed transfer pathways to its undergraduate nursing degree program from local high schools and community colleges
- Regarding SB 18: have abided by the new System Regulation 07.04 and added an SB 18 FAQ
- Regarding SB 25: HRIs are not included in the list GAIs, SB 25 does not pertain to TTUHSC El Paso
- Regarding to HB 1638:
- Heightened level of professional collaboration among IHEÂ and school districts
- Competitive pricing, for students seeking low cost options, may lead to diminished service
- High quality dual enrollment programming should be supported and recognized
- Incentive-producing regulations by TEA should be modified to reward high schools for achieving college readiness while limiting enrollment in superfluous dual credit courses
- As a result of COVID-19, have struggled to schedule how and when to teach
- Dual credit program uses a teaching model that employs credentialed high school teachers as adjunct faculty
- Regarding SB 25:
- Data sharing issues arise from high school transcripts varying widely in format and content
- Need renewed collaboration between THECB and TEA to train counselors at the intersection between dual credit and higher education
University of North Texas System
- Regarding SB 25, offered the following strategies to improve data sharing and assist with transferability:
- Need to implement a comprehensive student level tracking system starting K-12 and moves into higher education
- Need to initiate shared definition and data governance protocols for all publicly released TEA and THECB data
- Need to automate a centralized credit transfer data model
- Need to update “Apply Texas” application to include all dual credit courses and/or create a report to be sent to the Registrar of a Texas institution
- Need to establish earlier performance triggers to be measured and reported by two-year institutions
- Need to establish standard K-12 common transcript submission formats in EDI
- Need to require transcripts form two-year institutions to denote core complete
- Need to analyze alignment between high school diplomas/two-year degrees with four-year degree programs
- Recommends the following ways the state could utilize counselors/advisors:
- Need to conduct an audit of HS graduates to determine which common dual credit courses may not be leading towards a four-year degree
- Need to provide counselors and advisors with a central data repository that automates delivery of degree requirement information
- Need to train guidance counselors on which course count towards the core curriculum at higher education institutions
- Need to streamline rules around transfer and ensure no conflicting or inconsistent policies