Frequently Asked Questions

To establish and run an ECHS or P-TECH campus, public school districts must apply to obtain planning designation from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Once designated, each ECHS and P-TECH campus must reapply each year to maintain its designation.

Visit https://texasccrsmdesignation.org/ to learn how to apply for designation for these models.

No. The state’s grant process and the Texas College and Career Readiness School Model (CCRSM) designation process are entirely separate. Should grant funds become available which are specific to the CCRSM initiative, designated CCRSMs will be encouraged to apply. Please visit the TEA’s Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities (LASO) and Grant Opportunities pages for more information.

No. ECHS and P-TECH are not magnet programs. ECHS and P-TECH campuses are open enrollment programs which should serve all students with a special emphasis on underrepresented populations (at-risk, economically disadvantaged, English learners, and first-generation college goers) in higher education.

The ECHS Blueprint is the guiding framework for implementation of the ECHS model. The blueprint provides benchmarks, design elements, and outcomes-based measures that ECHS campuses must meet in order to maintain designation.

Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.908 requires that Texas ECHS programs “include articulation agreements with colleges, universities, and technical schools in this state to provide a participating student access to postsecondary education and training opportunities.” A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is an agreement between the ECHS and the IHE that describes the terms and services provided and/or exchanged by both parties for a specific period of time. All ECHS must have an MOU with an IHE partner. In order to be valid, all MOUs must be signed by both parties and cover the school year for which the applicant wishes to be designated.

MOUs help ensure that students needs are addressed by formalizing the school district – IHE partnership in the following areas:

General operating procedures: Defines the roles, responsibilities, and financial obligations of each partner.

Programmatic procedures: The MOU outlines student enrollment and attendance policies, grading periods and other academic policies, instructional materials and the instructional calendar, and the administration of statewide assessment instruments.

Use of facilities: In Texas, an ECHS campus can be in a new or existing building, by itself, or as a campus within a campus. ECHS students also need permission to access partner IHE campuses. The MOU outlines how space is allocated and shared.

Course articulation: The MOU codifies the courses of study which lead to a postsecondary credential, and establishes policies for matching and transferring coursework between the partners, as well as ongoing procedures for reviewing courses that may be counted for dual credit.

P-TECH high schools are open-enrollment innovative programs that allow students least likely to attend college or who wish to accelerate completion of high school to earn a high school diploma and work credentials, including industry-based certificates, Level 1 and Level 2 postsecondary certificates, and/or an associate degree. Students engage in work-based learning, including career-based practicum courses, internships, apprenticeships, and other innovative job-training programs at every grade level.

Benefits of designation include recognition as an approved P-TECH campus;membership in the
P-TECH and CCRSM networks; invitations to CCRSM convenings (special events hosted by the TEA and Educate Texas); and access to professional development, technical assistance, and research-based best practices.

P-TECH leaders choose their pathways in collaboration with their industry and higher education partners. The pathways must align with regional and state workforce and economic development needs and be informed by local and regional labor market data. P-TECH campuses can offer one or more pathways. P-TECHs are recommended to begin with a targeted approach during the planning year and expand pathway offerings over time, if appropriate. Please visit the P-TECH Blueprint for more information on this topic.

Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.553 requires that a P-TECH includes an “articulation agreement with institutions of higher education in this state to provide a participating student access to postsecondary educational and training opportunities at an institution of higher education (IHE) and [a] memoranda of understanding with regional industry or business partners in this state to provide a participating student access to work-based training and education.”

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is an agreement between the P-TECH and the IHE and the industry or business partner that describes the terms and services provided and/or exchanged by both parties for a specific period of time. All P-TECHs must have an MOU with an IHE partner and an agreement with the business or industry partner. In order to be valid, all MOUs must be signed by both parties and cover the school year for which the applicant wishes to be designated.

MOUs help ensure that students needs are addressed by formalizing the school district – IHE/Business partnership in the following areas:

General operating procedures: Defines the roles, responsibilities, and financial obligations of each partner.

Programmatic procedures: The MOU outlines student enrollment and attendance policies, grading periods and other academic policies, instructional materials and the instructional calendar, and the administration of statewide assessment instruments.

Use of facilities: In Texas, a P-TECH campus can be in a new or existing building, by itself, or as a campus within a campus. P-TECH students also need permission to access partner IHE campuses. The MOU outlines how space is allocated and shared.

Course articulation: The MOU codifies the courses of study which lead to a postsecondary credential, and establishes policies for matching and transferring coursework between the partners, as well as ongoing procedures for reviewing courses that may be counted for dual credit.

A school can request from the TEA to transition from one CCRSM model to another. A planning year is required before serving students in the new program to ensure stakeholders understand the model differences and to ensure fidelity of implementation of the new model. Once the change is approved by the TEA, the campus can recruit and serve students under the new model (P-TECH), however, the campus must continue to provide services to student recruited under the previous model (ECHS) until the students’ graduation.