ECHS Blueprint
Overview
Overview of Early College High School (ECHS) Model
Early College High Schools (ECHS) are open-enrollment programs that allow students least likely to attend college or who wish to accelerate completion of high school to combine high school courses and college-level courses while participating in rigorous and accelerated instruction.
Early College High School Blueprint
- The Blueprint identifies five benchmarks which serve as the foundational elements of the model and describes essential design elements for each benchmark.
- The Blueprint outlines the required design element artifacts to be published publicly and made available to TEA upon request.
- The Blueprint defines outcomes-based measures (OBMs) for required data indicators related to access, achievement, and attainment.
Early College High School Designation Process
The TEA designed a designation process for ECHS under the authority of Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.908(b) (2019) and Title 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §102.1091 (effective 2007).
- Designation is the process by which the TEA determines whether a school can fully implement the design elements of each benchmark and meet the OBMs.
- Designation, through the Program Application Cycle (PAC), is an annual requirement for ECHS programs.
ECHS Artifacts
All Early College High School (ECHS) artifacts shall be published on the ECHS website and made available to TEA upon request. The artifacts shall be maintained in accordance with the local records retention policy. Not all Benchmark design elements require a published artifact.
