The Board shall recognize nursing schools that are successful in retaining and graduating students from initial RN licensure programs:
  (1) Eligibility for Recognition. To be eligible for Board recognition, a nursing school must:
    (A) have an 85 percent or higher graduation rate for the most current year for which rates are calculated by the Board.
    (B) have an 85 percent NCLEX pass rate or higher for the most current period for which pass rates are available from the Texas Board of Nursing.
    (C) demonstrate best practices for retaining and graduating students from initial RN licensure programs as determined by the Board.
  (2) Calculation of Graduation Rate. Board shall calculate graduation rates each year using admission and graduation data submitted by the Registrar of each institution of higher education. Institutions may review the preliminary results of the Board's calculation but may not submit revised data for calculation unless approved by the Commissioner.
  (3) Demonstration of Best Practices:
    (A) The nursing school shall:
      (i) demonstrate to the Board through data collection efforts and analysis the specific strategies and activities that have contributed to a graduation and NCLEX pass rate of 85 percent or higher.
      (ii) submit a plan for disseminating information about the best practices to nursing programs in the state.
    (B) The Commissioner shall make the final determination of whether or not the program has demonstrated best practices.
  (4) Method of Recognition. Nursing schools that meet eligibility requirements for recognition will be reported to the Texas Board of Nursing, Governor, and Texas Legislature each year and the names of their institutions will be posted on the Board's website. Recognized nursing programs are also eligible for incentive funding that shall be used only to increase enrollments and the number of graduates from initial RN licensure programs and to promote best practices in the state.
  (5) Acknowledgement of Increased Retention Rates. The Board shall acknowledge by letter nursing schools that have not obtained an 85 percent graduation rate or higher, but have otherwise increased graduation rates in their initial RN licensure programs above 50 percent and by more than 10 percent from the previous year to the current year.

Source Note: The provisions of this §4.183 adopted to be effective November 28, 2007, 32 TexReg 8485