DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES: HIGH SCHOOL DEGREES

Opportunity High

School Diploma

Program

The Opportunity High School Diploma Program is an alternative competency-based high school diploma program to be offered for concurrent enrollment to an adult student without a high school diploma who is concurrently enrolled in a career and technical education (CTE) program at a public junior college. The program may include any combination of instruction, curriculum, internships, or other means by which a student may attain the knowledge sufficient to adequately prepare the student for postsecondary education or additional workforce education. Education Code 130.452; 19 TAC 12.5(a)

Application

An eligible entity shall complete and submit an application to the Coordinating Board. Each application must:

1. Be submitted electronically in a format and location specified in the application;

2. Adhere to the program requirements specified in rule; and

3. Be submitted on or before the day and time specified in the application.

A public junior college may submit an application to the Coordinating Board for approval to offer an Opportunity High School Diploma Program. The application must propose an alternative competency-based high school diploma program to be offered for concurrent enrollment to adult students without a high school diploma who are enrolled in a workforce education program at the college. The proposed program may include any combination of instruction, curriculum, achievement, internships, or other means by which a student may attain knowledge sufficient to adequately prepare the student for postsecondary education or additional workforce education.

Unless otherwise specified in the application, an eligible public junior college must submit the following elements in a complete application for approval to offer this program:

1. A description of the program's design demonstrating compliance with program requirements listed under 19 Administrative Code 12.5, including the assessment to be used under Section 12.5(d)(4).

2. Documentation of consultation with local employers and Workforce Development Boards in development of the program's curriculum. Subject to approval under this section, an eligible public junior college may enter into agreement to offer the program in consortium with one or more public junior colleges, general academic teaching institutions, public school districts, or nonprofit organizations.

3. For public junior colleges proposing to offer the program in consortium with one or more partners:

a. A memorandum of agreement with each member of the consortium; and

b. A description of the role that each member of the consortium will play in delivery of the program.

Education Code 130.454(a)-(b); 19 TAC 12.4(a), .6(a), .7(a), (b)(1),.10(a)

Coordinating Board Approval

The assistant commissioner will make the determination of administrative completeness of the application in accordance with 19 Administrative Code 12.5 and 19 Administrative Code 12.7 within 60 days of receiving the application. The assistant commissioner may allow an institution the opportunity to cure deficiencies in the proposed program application prior to making a recommendation to the commissioner.

The assistant commissioner will make a recommendation to the commissioner to deny the proposed diploma program or approve the proposed diploma program. If the assistant commissioner recommends denial of approval, the institution may appeal that decision to the commissioner in writing with all supporting documents

within 60 days of notice of the denial of approval.

The commissioner may, within 60 days of receiving a recommendation for approval from the assistant commissioner or an appeal from an institution, and at his or her sole discretion:

1. Determine if the application is complete and meets the requirements set out in 19 Administrative Code Chapter 12, Subchapter A; and

2. Approve the proposed diploma program; or

3. Deny the proposed diploma program.

The Coordinating Board may approve not more than five public junior colleges to participate in the program.

Decisions by the commissioner regarding appeals are final and not subject to further appeal. The Coordinating Board shall notify the public junior college of program approval and post a list of approved programs on the Coordinating Board website.

Education Code 130.454(c)-(d); 19 TAC 12.7(c)(2)-(3), .10(b)-(g)

Approved Program

Subject to approval under this section, a public junior college may enter into agreement with one or more public junior colleges, general academic teaching institutions, public school districts, or non-profit organizations to offer this program. The public junior college may offer this program at any campus an entity subject to an agreement to offer this program. Education Code 130.454(e); 19 TAC 12.5(g)

Implementation Deadline

An institution shall implement an approved new Opportunity High School Diploma program within 12 months of the implementation date stated in the Coordinating Board approval letter or approval is withdrawn. The commissioner may give one 12-month extension of approval if an institution demonstrates good cause for the additional time and the delay will not harm students. 19 TAC 12.10(h)

Eligible Students

An institution may admit an adult student without a high school diploma to the Opportunity High School Diploma Program. “Adult student” means a student aged 18 or older on the date of first enrollment in the program. An institution shall concurrently enroll each eligible student in a CTE program.

A student shall be concurrently enrolled in a program that is defined as a CTE certificate in 19 Administrative Code 2.262, other than a Level 2 Certificate, Enhanced Skills Certificate, or an Advanced Technical Certificate.

19 TAC 12.5(b), .6(b)

Core Program Competencies

An approved public junior college shall embed required instructional outcomes and performance expectations1

in the program.

A public junior college may also add curricular elements designed to meet regional employers' needs or specific workforce needs.

Core program competencies shall include:

1. Quantitative Reasoning, including the application of mathematics to the analysis and interpretation of theoretical and real-world problems to draw relevant conclusions or solutions.

2. Communication Skills, including reading, writing, listening, speaking, and non-verbal communication.

3. Civics, including the structure of government, processes to make laws and policies, constitutional principles of checks and balances, separation of powers, federalism, and rights and responsibilities of a citizen.

4. Scientific Reasoning, including problem-solving that involves forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, determining and analyzing evidence, and interpreting results.

5. Workplace Success Skills, including dependability, adaptability, working with others, initiative, resilience, accountability,

Prior Learning and

Program

Completions

A public junior college approved to offer this program shall determine each student's competence in each of the five core program competencies prior to enrolling the student in the program of instruction and upon the student's completion of the program of instruction.

The program of instruction assigned to each student will be based on the student's prior learning and assessments of the student's competencies for each of the five core program competencies. An institution may determine that a student has satisfied required learning outcomes for one or more core program competencies

based on the student's prior learning.

An institution may use any of the following methods as documentation of a student's prior learning in the five core program competencies:

1. Transcripted high school grades;

2. Transcripted college credit;

3. Achievement on a national standardized test such as the SAT or ACT;

4. Credit earned through military service as recommended by the American Council on Education; or

5. Demonstrated success on pre-program assessments.

The commissioner shall identify, consider, and approve assessments, in consultation with the Texas Workforce Commission, to be used by a public junior college to determine a student's successful achievement of the five core program competencies and completion of the program. Assessments approved by the commissioner are listed in 19 Administrative Code 12.5(d)(4). A public junior college that is approved to offer the program shall use an approved assessment to evaluate each student's competence in the five core program competencies.

19 TAC 12.5(d)

Revisions

A public junior college approved to offer the Opportunity High School Diploma shall update or revise its program as necessary to meet any approved revisions to the instructional objectives, performance expectations, or assessments and provide documentation to the Coordinating Board of such revisions within 90 days of the

effective date. 19 TAC 12.11(a), (d)

Award of High

School Diploma

A public junior college participating in the program shall award a high school diploma to a student enrolled in this program if the student satisfactorily completes an approved assessment that provides evidence of competence in the five core program requirements as required under this section.

A high school diploma awarded under the program is equivalent to

a high school diploma awarded under Education Code 28.025.

Education Code 130.455; 19 TAC 12.5(h)

Revocation of

Authorization

The commissioner may revoke authorization of an Opportunity High School Diploma program based on the following factors:

1. Noncompliance with application and/or the provisions of 19 Administrative Code Chapter 12, Subchapter A;

2. Lack of program success as evidenced by reports; or

3. Failure to provide accurate, timely, and complete information as required by 19 Administrative Code 12.10.

The commissioner shall provide written notice of a proposed revocation, including the reason or reasons for the proposed revocation.

An institution offering an approved Opportunity High School Diploma program has 30 days to request a hearing on the proposed revocation. Such hearing request shall be submitted in writing and include copies of any documents that support the hearing request. A hearing shall be scheduled not later than 60 days from the date of Coordinating Board receipt of the hearing request, unless otherwise agreed.

The commissioner will provide written notice of the proposed revocation no later than 30 days from the date of the hearing, or if no hearing is requested once the period to request a hearing has elapsed. Such notice shall provide for a reasonable period for students currently enrolled in the Opportunity High School Diploma

program to be taught-out.

19 TAC 12.12

Funding

An Opportunity High School Diploma is a fundable outcome as defined in 19 Administrative Code 13.556. The commissioner shall confer with the Texas Workforce Commission to identify additional funding. Education Code 130.456(b); 19 TAC 12.9

Reporting

Each participating public junior college or consortia approved to offer this program shall report to the Coordinating Board via a form and on a schedule approved by the commissioner for data collection required under this section. Each participating public junior college shall provide disaggregated data and information including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Student enrollment data;

2. Student completion data; and

3. Any other data or attributes as determined by the commissioner.

Each participating public junior college or consortia approved to offer this program shall provide any additional reports certified in accordance with Coordinating Board data reporting requirements.

19 TAC 12.8(a)-(b)

1

Required instructional outcomes and performance expectations:

https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/contracts/workforce-education/op-

portunity-high-school-diploma-instructional-outcomes-and-performance-

expectations/