Sec. 130.008. COURSES FOR JOINT HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR COLLEGE CREDIT. (a) Under an agreement with a school district or, in the case of a private high school, with the organization or other person that operates the high school, a public junior college may offer a course in which a student attending a high school operated in this state by the school district, organization, or other person may enroll and for which the student may simultaneously receive both:

(1) course credit toward the student's high school academic requirements; and

(2) course credit as a student of the junior college, if the student has been admitted to the junior college or becomes eligible to enroll in and is subsequently admitted to the junior college.

(a-1) A course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under this section must be:

(1) in the core curriculum of the public junior college;

(2) a career and technical education course; or

(3) a foreign language course.

(a-2) Subsection (a-1) does not apply to a course offered for joint high school and junior college credit to a student 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.

(a-3) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in coordination with the Texas Education Agency, shall adopt rules to implement Subsections (a-1) and (a-2). In adopting those rules, the coordinating board shall use the negotiated rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code, and consult with relevant stakeholders.

(b) The junior college may waive all or part of the tuition and fees for a high school student enrolled in a course for which the student may receive joint credit under this section.

(c) The contact hours attributable to the enrollment of a high school student in a course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under this section, excluding a course for which the student attending high school may receive course credit toward the physical education curriculum requirement under Section 28.002(a)(2)(C), shall be included in the contact hours used to determine the junior college's proportionate share of the state money appropriated and distributed to public junior colleges under Sections 130.003 and 130.0031, even if the junior college waives all or part of the tuition or fees for the student under Subsection (b).

(d) A public junior college may enter into an agreement with a school district, organization, or other person that operates a high school to offer a course as provided by this section regardless of whether the high school is located within the service area of the junior college district.

(d-1) Repealed by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 211, Sec. 78(a)(6), eff. September 1, 2013.

(e) In admitting or enrolling high school students in a course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under Subsection (a), a public junior college must apply the same criteria and conditions to each student wishing to enroll in the course without regard to whether the student attends a public school or a private or parochial school, including a home school. For purposes of this section, a student who attends a school that is not formally organized as a high school and is at least 16 years of age is considered to be attending a high school.

(f) Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 90 , Sec. 2, eff. May 23, 2015.

(g) A course offered for joint high school and junior college credit under this section must be taught by a qualified instructor approved or selected by the public junior college. For purposes of this subsection, an instructor is qualified if the instructor holds:

(1) a doctoral or master's degree in the discipline that is the subject of the course;

(2) a master's degree in another discipline with a concentration that required completion of a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the discipline that is the subject of the course; or

(3) for a course that is offered in an associate degree program and that is not designed for transfer to a baccalaureate degree program:

(A) a degree described by Subdivision (1) or (2);

(B) a baccalaureate degree in the discipline that is the subject of the course; or

(C) an associate degree and demonstrated competencies in the discipline that is the subject of the course, as determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

(g-1) A public junior college with a service area located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million shall enter into an agreement with each school district located wholly or partly in a county with a population of more than three million to offer one or more courses as provided by this section. A student enrolled in a school district to which this subsection applies may enroll in a course at any junior college that has entered into an agreement with the district to offer the course under this subsection.

(h) Not later than the 60th day after receipt, a public junior college shall approve or reject an application for approval to teach a course at a high school that is submitted by an instructor employed by the school district, organization, or other person that operates the high school with which the junior college entered into an agreement under this section to offer the course.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 195, Sec. 1, eff. May 23, 1995. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 297, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 908, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 27, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 220, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1070, Sec. 1, eff. June 20, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 453 (H.B. 2480), Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009.

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 385 (S.B. 419), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2011.

Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 211 (H.B. 5), Sec. 77(a), eff. June 10, 2013.

Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 211 (H.B. 5), Sec. 78(a)(6), eff. September 1, 2013.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 90 (H.B. 505), Sec. 2, eff. May 23, 2015.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 797 (H.B. 2812), Sec. 3, eff. June 17, 2015.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 988 (H.B. 18), Sec. 7, eff. June 19, 2015.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1177 (S.B. 1004), Sec. 2, eff. June 19, 2015.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 324 (S.B. 1488), Sec. 6.006, eff. September 1, 2017.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 729 (S.B. 1091), Sec. 3, eff. June 12, 2017.