Sec. 28.009.  COLLEGE CREDIT PROGRAM.  (a)  Each school district shall implement a program under which students may earn the equivalent of at least 12 semester credit hours of college credit in high school. On request, a public institution of higher education in this state shall assist a school district in developing and implementing the program. The college credit may be earned through:
(1)  international baccalaureate, advanced placement, or dual credit courses;
(2)  articulated postsecondary courses provided for local credit or articulated postsecondary advanced technical credit courses provided for state credit; or
(3)  any combination of the courses described by Subdivisions (1) and (2).
(a-1)  A program implemented under this section may provide a student the opportunity to earn credit for a course or activity, including an apprenticeship or training hours:
(1)  that:
(A)  satisfies a requirement necessary to obtain an industry-recognized credential or certificate or an associate degree; and
(B)  is approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; and
(2)  for which a student may earn credit concurrently toward both the student's high school diploma and postsecondary academic requirements.
(a-2)  A school district is not required to pay a student's tuition or other associated costs for taking a course under this section. 
(a-4)  A dual credit course offered under this section must be:
(1)  in the core curriculum of the public institution of higher education providing college credit;
(2)  a career and technical education course; or
(3)  a foreign language course.
(a-5)  Subsection (a-4) does not apply to a dual credit course offered as part of the early college education program established under Section 29.908 or any other early college program that assists a student in earning a certificate or an associate degree while in high school.
 
Text of subsection as amended by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 90 (H.B. 505), Sec. 1
 
(b)  The agency shall coordinate with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as necessary in administering this section.  The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary concerning the duties under this section of a school district.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt rules as necessary concerning the duties under this section of a public institution of higher education.  A rule may not limit:
(1)  the number of dual credit courses or hours in which a student may enroll while in high school;
(2)  the number of dual credit courses or hours in which a student may enroll each semester or academic year; or
(3)  the grade levels at which a high school student may be eligible to enroll in a dual credit course.
 
Text of subsection as amended by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 988 (H.B. 18), Sec. 2
 
(b)  The agency shall coordinate with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as necessary in administering this section.  The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary concerning the duties under this section of a school district.  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt rules as necessary concerning the duties under this section of a public institution of higher education.  A rule may not limit the number of dual credit courses or semester credit hours in which a student may enroll while in high school or limit the number of dual credit courses or semester credit hours in which a student may enroll each semester or academic year.
(b-1)  The agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board jointly shall develop statewide goals for dual credit programs, including early college high school programs, career and technical education dual credit programs, and joint high school and college credit programs provided under Section 130.008, to provide uniform standards for evaluating those programs.  The goals must address, at a minimum:
(1)  a dual credit program's achievement of enrollment in and acceleration through postsecondary education;
(2)  performance in college-level coursework; and
(3)  the development of an effective bridge between secondary and postsecondary education in the state.
(b-2)  Any agreement, including a memorandum of understanding or articulation agreement, between a school district and public institution of higher education to provide a dual credit program described by Subsection (b-1) must:
(1)  include specific program goals aligned with the statewide goals developed under Subsection (b-1);
(2)  establish common advising strategies and terminology related to dual credit and college readiness;
(3)  provide for the alignment of endorsements described by Section 28.025(c-1) offered by the district, and dual credit courses offered under the agreement that apply towards those endorsements, with postsecondary pathways and credentials at the institution and industry certifications;
(4)  identify tools, including tools developed by the agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, or the Texas Workforce Commission, to assist school counselors, students, and families in selecting endorsements offered by the district and dual credit courses offered under the agreement;
(5)  establish, or provide a procedure for establishing, the course credits that may be earned under the agreement, including by developing a course equivalency crosswalk or other method for equating high school courses with college courses and identifying the number of credits that may be earned for each course completed through the program;
(6)  describe the academic supports and, if applicable, guidance that will be provided to students participating in the program;
(7)  establish the district's and the institution's respective roles and responsibilities in providing the program and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the program;
(8)  state the sources of funding for courses offered under the program, including, at a minimum, the sources of funding for tuition, transportation, and any required fees or textbooks for students participating in the program;
(9)  require the district and the institution to consider the use of free or low-cost open educational resources in courses offered under the program;
(10)  ensure the accurate and timely exchange of information necessary for an eligible student to enroll at no cost in a dual credit course as provided by Section 28.0095;
(11)  be posted each year on the district's and the institution's respective Internet websites; and
(12)  designate at least one employee of the district or institution as responsible for providing academic advising to a student who enrolls in a dual credit course under the program before the student begins the course.
(b-3)  The agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall coordinate as necessary to adopt rules for the implementation of Subsections (a-4) and (a-5).  In adopting those rules, the agency and the coordinating board shall use the negotiated rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code, and consult with relevant stakeholders.
(c)  The commissioner and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall share data as necessary to enable school districts to comply with this subsection. Each school district shall annually report to the agency:
(1)  the number of district students, including career and technical students, who have participated in the program and earned college credit; and
(2)  the cumulative number of courses in which participating district students have enrolled and college credit hours the students have earned.
(c-1)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall collect student course credit data from public institutions of higher education as necessary for purposes of Subsection (c).
(d)  In this section:
(1)  "Career and technical student" means:
(A)  a secondary education student who has entered the first course in a sequence of two or more technical courses for three or more credits in a career and technical education program; or
(B)  a student who:
(i)  is enrolled in an academic or workforce course that is part of a sequence of courses leading to an industry-recognized credential, certificate, or degree; and
(ii)  has declared that sequence of courses as the student's major course of study.
(2)  "Sequence of courses" means career and technical education courses approved by the State Board of Education or innovative courses approved by the State Board of Education that are provided for local credit.
Added by Acts 2006, 79th Leg., 3rd C.S., Ch. 5 (H.B. 1), Sec. 5.01, eff. May 31, 2006.
Amended by: 
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 763 (H.B. 3485), Sec. 2, eff. June 15, 2007.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1328 (H.B. 3646), Sec. 15, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 369 (S.B. 149), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2011.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 369 (S.B. 149), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 369 (S.B. 149), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 369 (S.B. 149), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1104 (S.B. 1619), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2011.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 213 (H.B. 842), Sec. 1, eff. June 10, 2013.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 424 (S.B. 435), Sec. 1, eff. June 14, 2013.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 90 (H.B. 505), Sec. 1, eff. May 23, 2015.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 988 (H.B. 18), Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 2015.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 93 (H.B. 1638), Sec. 1, eff. May 23, 2017.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 189 (S.B. 22), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 729 (S.B. 1091), Sec. 1, eff. June 12, 2017.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 264 (S.B. 1276), Sec. 1, eff. May 28, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 467 (H.B. 4170), Sec. 21.001(6), eff. September 1, 2019.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 901 (H.B. 3650), Sec. 1, eff. June 10, 2019.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 185 (S.B. 1277), Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 2021.
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 915 (H.B. 3607), Sec. 5.007, eff. September 1, 2021.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 378 (H.B. 8), Sec. 2, eff. June 9, 2023.