P-TECH Programs
At Premier High School, we understand the importance of providing our students with an early career pathway, and P-TECH is the perfect program to make this happen.
Enrolling in Premier High School and participating in our P-TECH programs is an excellent way for students to jumpstart their careers. By offering a unique opportunity to students, P-TECH enables them to obtain the knowledge, skills, and practical experiences necessary to succeed in the modern workforce. By combining traditional classroom learning with real-world work experience and job-specific training, students have a leg up on their peers who have not been given such opportunities. With an ever-growing demand for highly skilled professionals, P-TECH can provide students with the right skills and connections to be able to enter the workforce immediately upon graduation.
Watch Tyeis' story below to hear how our P-Tech program could benefit you.
Benchmark 1: School Design
Design Elements
1.1 Student Cost
The P-TECH program shall be offered at no cost to students.
1.2 School Location
The P-TECH location shall be
- on a college or university campus; or
- in a high school - as a standalone high school campus or in a smaller learning community within a larger high school; or
- at a central location, such as a CTE center. The central location is not the home campus where students are enrolled
1.3 Student Cohorts
P-TECH students shall be placed in a cohort for core classes to the extent possible; this does not exclude non-P-TECH students from enrolling in the same class.
1.4 Flexible Scheduling
The P-TECH program shall provide flexible, individualized scheduling that allows students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and enables a student to combine high school courses and college-level courses with the goal of earning industry-based certifications, certificates, and/or an associate degree, and engage in appropriate work-based learning at every grade level.
1.5 TSIA Testing Site
The P-TECH shall be a TSI assessment site or shall be in the process of becoming a TSI assessment site. The P-TECH shall provide opportunities throughout the year for students to take the TSI assessment.
1.6 Leadership Team Strategic Priorities
The P-TECH shall establish a leadership team that includes high-level personnel from the school district, campus, business/industry, and institutions of higher education (IHE) with decision-making authority who meet regularly and report to each organization.The leadership team shall develop long-term strategic priorities for the P-TECH program along with a work plan for how to achieve programmatic goals in coordination with district and campus improvement planning. Regularly scheduled meetings - in person and/or virtual - must address the following topics:
- Establish and maintain the role each member will play in the design, governance, operations, accountability, curriculum development, professional development, outreach, sustainability, and continuous monitoring and improvement of the P-TECH
- Collectively develop an MOU and review annually for necessary revisions
- Share responsibility (between the school district, business/industry partners, and the IHE) for meeting annual annual outcomes-based measures and providing annual reports to their district and IHE boards, as well as to the public
- Monitor progress on meeting the Blueprint design elements, including reviewing formative data to ensure the P-TECH is on-track to meet the outcomes-based measures
- Guid mid-course corrections as needed
1.7 Leadership Team Key Roles
The leadership team shall include leaders from the district, campus, business/industry partner, and IHE who have decision-making authority to execute changes toward this end:
District leaders (may include):
- Superintendent
- Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, or equivalent position
- P-TECH principal or director
- P-TECH liaison to the IHE or department chairs
- School-business partners or CTE Director
- School counselors
- Parent representative
IHE leaders (may include):
- College or University President or Provost
- Department chairs for core academic disciplines
- Liaison to the P-TECH or dual credit officer
- Advising or student support director
Business/Industry Partner (may include):
- CEO/president
- Education/community outreach specialist or leader of relevant community organization, such as a Chamber of Commerce or non-profit organization
1.8 P-TECH Staff
P-TECH staff shall include the following:
- A P-TECH leader who has authority over course and instructor scheduling, staff and faculty hiring, and budget development
- An IHE liaison with decision-making authority who interacts directly and frequently (in-person or virtually) with the P-TECH leader
- A business/industry partner liaison with decision-making authority who interacts directly and frequently (in-person or virtually) with the P-TECH leader and the dual credit provider
- Highly qualified P-TECH teachers who work directly with the P-TECH students, which may include high school faculty who must meet faculty requirements that are set by the regional accrediting association of the community college and/or university to teach college-level courses, instructors for virtual college courses, and instructors for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses
- Highly qualified P-TECH high school counselor who collaborates directly and frequently with the IHE advisor or liaison to support P-TECH students. The P-TECH counselor and IHE advisor shall jointly support P-TECH students through IHE course registration and shall monitor high school and college courses and transcripts to ensure programmatic requirements for both the high school and IHE are met
1.10 Sustainability Structures
Sustainability structures shall be identified and implemented to address and minimize the challenges of staff turnover and potential fluctuations in funding.
1.11 Advisory Board
The P-TECH shall establish an Advisory Board that meets regularly and includes representatives from a variety of stakeholders such as school board, community, economic development partners, relevant industry subject matter experts for program pathways, and the IHE to provide support and guidance to the P-TECH in resource acquisition, curriculum development, work-based learning, and student/community outreach to ensure a successful academic and career pipeline.
Benchmark 2: Partnerships
Design Elements for MOU and ILA with Institution of Higher Education
2.1 Goal of Higher Education Partnership
The MOU or ILA shall include the goal of the P-TECH and IHE partnership and a description of how the goals of the dual credit program align to the Texas Statewide Dual Credit Goals.
2.2 Roles and Responsibilities
The MOU or ILA shall include the respective roles and responsibilities for the campus and IHE in providing for and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the dual credit program.
2.3 Funding
The MOU or ILA shall identify how costs will be shared, including for the following:
- Dual Credit courses offered through the program
- Instructional materials to be used and textbook adoption
- Transportation costs and fees
- Eligibility of P-TECH students for financial assistance from the higher education partner(s), specifically, waivers for tuition and fees
2.4 Academic Plan
The MOU or ILA shall articulate the academic plan, including the following:
- Courses of study that enable a student to combine high school courses and college-level courses with the goal to earn an associate degree or up to 60 semester credit hours toward a baccalaureate degree
- Curriculum alignment for each degree plan with a course equivalency crosswalk equating high school courses with college courses and the number of credits that may be earned for each course completed through the dual credit program
- Transferable and applicable college credits earned during high school
2.5 Transcription of Credit
The MOU or ILA shall include components that enhance transcription of credit, including the following:
- Assurances that the IHE will transcribe college credit earned through dual credit in the same semester that credit is earned
- Assurances that the P-TECH will adhere to the grading periods and policies of the IHE for dual credit and college courses, including academic probation
2.6 Course Delivery and Scheduling
The MOU or ILA shall articulate course delivery and scheduling, including the following:
- The instructional calendar, including location of each course that will be offered
- Assurances that P-TECH students are treated as dual credit students until graduation from the P-TECH program. As such, they may take dual credit courses during the fall, spring, and summer sessions to meet the goals of the P-TECH program
2.7 Staffing Plan
The MOU or ILA shall include a staffing plan for the P-TECH, including the following:
- Teacher qualification processes, instructor availability, and course offerings
- Joint professional development for P-TECH faculty and college and counselors/advisors (including both district and IHE faculty/staff)
2.8 Instructional Materials and Textbooks
The MOU or ILA shall articulate instructional materials and textbook policies, including the following:
- The duration for which textbooks can be used
- Instructional materials and textbooks costs and fees
2.9 Access to Higher Education Resources
The MOU or ILA shall articulate that students will be granted access to higher education resources, including the following:
- P-TECH students' access to the IHE facilities, services and resources
- Disability services available to students in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for college courses for dual credit
2.10 Transportation
The MOU or ILA shall address transportation, including the following:
- Transportation policies, including the P-TECH and IHE respective roles and responsibilities related to the transportation
- Transportation costs and fees funding
2.11 Collaborative Outreach Efforts
The MOU or ILA shall outline the commitment that the P-TECH and IHE will implement purposeful and collaborative outreach efforts to inform all students and parents of the benefits and costs of dual credit, including enrollment and fee policies.
2.12 Student Participation
The MOU or ILA shall articulate student participation, including the following:
- Policy on minimum class size per dual credit course
- Student enrollment policies, including student eligibility for enrollment and pre-requisite policies
- Student attendance policies
- Code of conduct policies
- Administration of statewide assessments of academic skills (TEC, Subchapter B, Chapter 39)
- Provisions for discontinuing P-TECH operation to ensure students previously enrolled will have the opportunity to complete their course of study
2.13 Academic Supports
The MOU or ILA shall identify how the P-TECH and IHE will provide academic supports, including the following:
- Academic and college readiness advising with access to student support services to bridge students successfully into college course completion
- Advising services for students on the transferability and applicability to baccalaureate degree plans for all college credit offered and earned
- Policies related to student intervention
2.14 Data Sharing
The MOU or ILA shall include a data sharing agreement that outlines provisions for students data to be provided by the college to the high school and enables collaborative data sharing on a regular basis to promote student support interventions during the semester. The MOU and ILA shall also include the following:
- Teacher data such as qualifications
- Student-level data such as credit hours taken and earned, GPA. student academic progress, college and career readiness metrics (e.g., SAT/ACT), and formative regularly updated or real-time data (e.g., course enrollment/dropout, TSIA scores, 6-/9-week or midterm grades, attendance for students at the high school)
- Policies for expanding access to student data, such as granting P-TECH teachers of record and campus administrators full instructor access
2.15 P-TECH Program Data Analysis
The MOU or ILA shall identify the CCRSM program data analysis that the P-TECH will complete, including but not limited to:
- Dual credit program outcomes that assist high school students in the successful transition to and acceleration through postsecondary education
- The quality and rigor of dual credit courses will be sufficient to ensure student success in subsequent courses
Design Elements for Agreement with Business/Industry Partner
2.16 Roles and Responsibilities
The agreement shall include the respective roles and responsibilities of the campus/LEA and business/industry partner in providing for and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the work-based learning programming.
2.17 Work-Based Learning Plan
The agreement shall clearly outline a work-based learning plan that will be followed to provide relevant work-based learning experiences aligned to the Tri-Agency Work-Based Learning Continuum.
- Work Based Learning Continuum
2.18 Work-Based Learning Activities
The agreement shall include a detailed plan for work-based learning experiences for students appropriate to each grade level. These activities should increase in rigor and specificity as illustrated by the Tri-Agency Work-based Learning Continuum beginning with activities such as facility visits and culminating in activities, such as pre-apprenticeships.
2.19 Professional Skills and Mentorship
The agreement shall articulate that the P-TECH and business/industry partner provide mentorship activities that promote professional skills attainment, including the following:
- A plan for career mentoring activities appropriate to each grade level
- The roles and responsibilities of the P-TECH and business/industry partners in the planning and implementation of career mentoring
- Support for students' activities, such as clubs, Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), competitions, and special initiatives that promote professional skills attainment
2.20 Access to Business Resources
The agreement shall articulate student access to business/industry partners and work-based learning facilities, services, and resources.
2.21 Transportation
The agreement shall address transportation, including the following:
- Transportation policies, including the P-TECH and business/industry respective roles and responsibility related to transportation
- Transportation costs and fees
2.22 Qualifying for Priority Interviewing
The agreement shall include a commitment that the business/industry partner will give students who receive work-based training or education from the partner priority in interviewing for any jobs for which the student is qualified that are available upon the student's completion of the program.
2.23 Program Monitoring
The agreement shall include program monitoring components to ensure the quality and rigor of work-based learning experiences will be sufficient to ensure student success in subsequent work-based learning, mentorship, and internship experiences.
Benchmark 3: Target Population
Design Elements
3.1 Recruitment and Enrollment Policies
The P-TECH shall be open enrollment for all students and shall identify, recruit, and enroll subpopulations that are historically underrepresented in college courses. The P-TECH shall coordinate activities with feeder middle school(s), higher education partner(s), and business/industry partner(s) to participate in recruitment activities. The P-TECH must enroll a 9th-grade class during their first year of implementation and will progressively scale up by adding at least one grade level per year after the first year of implementation. If a P-TECH phases out its services, the academy must be prepared to provide services to each enrolled cohort through graduation.
3.2 Documenting Enrollment Procedures
The P-TECH shall clearly document recruitment and enrollment policies and practices, refining and improving them annually based on data reviews.
3.3 Stakeholder Engagement
Recruitment and enrollment processes (including marketing and recruitment plans, materials, and timelines) shall include input from key stakeholders (e.g., parents, community members, higher education partners, and business/industry partners) and shall include regular activities to educate students, counselors, principals, parents, and school board and community members.
3.4 Lottery System
For any P-TECH at capacity, the P-TECH shall use either a performance-blind, open-access lottery system that encourages and considers applications from all students (all students have an equal opportunity for acceptance, regardless of background or academic performance) or a weighted lottery that favors students who are at risk or who are historically underrepresented for the P-TECH. Districts are encouraged to standardize lottery practices across campuses implementing the College and Career Readiness School Model.
Benchmark 4: Academic Infrastructure
Design Elements
4.1 Regional Need
The P-TECH shall work with the local workforce development board, local chamber of commerce, and/or local workforce industry representatives to identify and maintain a list of high-demand occupations.
The P-TECH shall establish one or more career pathways that include industry-relevant classes, are informed by the identified regional needs, and prepare students for high-wage,high-demand, high-skills career fields. The P-TECH shall have plans for sequencing additional courses for students in the career pathway.
4.2 Postsecondary Opportunities
The P-TECH program must provide a rigorous course of study that allows students the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and enables a student to combine high school courses and college-level courses with the goal of earning industry-based certifications, certificates, or an associate degree, and engage in appropriate work-based learning at every grade level.
4.3 Course Sequence
The P-TECH shall offer a course of study that provides a detailed and relevant course sequence to the postsecondary opportunities aligned to the high school and college courses provided to the P-TECH students. This crosswalk must follow the courses and fields of study listed in the THECB Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) and/or the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM).
4.4 Course Offerings
The P-TECH shall provide a variety of opportunities for students to earn college credit (e.g., a portfolio approach may include dual credit, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), OnRamps, CLEP assessments, and local articulation agreements for specific courses in partnerships with a local college with applicability of college credits in mind.
4.5 Delivery of Courses
The campus may implement multiple dual enrollment delivery models, including but not limited to the following:
- College courses taught on the college campus by college faculty
- College courses taught on the high school campus by college faculty
- College courses taught on the high school campus by high school educators who meet faculty requirements
- College courses taught virtually, via distance/online/blended learning
4.6 Academic Performance in High School
The P-TECH shall implement a plan for End-of-Course (EOC) assessment success, including academic preparation classes for accepted students and academic interventions for students who do not pass EOC assessments.
4.7 College Readiness
The P-TECH shall provide a TSI assessment to accepted students as early as incoming 9th graders. This assessment may not be used as a prerequisite for admissions to the P-TECH.
- The P-TECH shall publish on its website the data, times, and location(s) for TSIA administration
- The P-TECH shall provide assessment fee waivers for all administration of the TSIA test
- The P-TECH shall implement a plan for TSIA success, including academic preparation classes for accepted students, and shall provide academic interventions (e.g., tutoring workshops, testing strategies, accelerated instruction) for students who do not participate in the TSI before retesting
- The P-TECH shall review TSIA testing data, particularly the number/percentage of students who have currently passed each section of the TSI assessment to prescribe accelerated instruction to support students
- The P-TECH shall explore alternative measures for students to meet college readiness standards
4.8 Student Data Tracking
The P-TECH shall biannually implement structured data review processes to do the following:
- Identify student strengths and areas of growth and develop individual instructional support plans
- Provide an assessment for measuring student progress to ensure students are on track to meet the outcomes-based measures
- Provide an opportunity for the IHE to provide feedback on the value of the P-TECH program
- Provide an opportunity for the business/industry partner(s) to provide feedback on the value of the P-TECH program
4.9 Student Persistence
The P-TECH shall create a plan for students off-track for success in the P-TECH program. Support systems shall include infrastructure, resources, and personnel to enable every possibility to retain the student in the P-TECH program and promote program completion.
4.10 Student Pathway Support
The P-TECH shall develop a plan to support direct-to-college student enrollment following high school graduation and a strategy to foster long-term workforce readiness.
Benchmark 5: Student Support
Design Elements
5.1 Bridge Programs
The P-TECH provides a bridge program (an intensive academic preparation program that provides opportunities to strengthen academic skills necessary for high school, college readiness, and career readiness) to prepare students for the TSIA and provide academic interventions for those who do not pass the TSIA. The bridge program may also serve to support student transition from middle school to the P-TECH program.
5.2 Advising
The P-TECH shall collaborate with its IHE to personalize the learning environment for students through developing individualized student plans for ongoing academic support, filing a degree plan, and the attainment of long-term goals. The P-TECH and IHE shall develop robust college and career advising systems to support student plans and advance academic progress and shall develop a process for collaboration to provide an academic bridge across two educational systems.
5.3 Student Intervention
The P-TECH shall administer interventions as needed, including tutoring and/or Saturday School for identified students in need of academic support. The P-TECH shall monitor academic progress with formative data.
5.4 Classroom Support
The P-TECH shall provide advisory and/or college and career readiness advising and support time built into the instructional sequence for all students. The P-TECH shall provide skill-building instruction for students, such as time management, study skills, collaboration, and interpersonal relationship skills.
5.5 Wrap-Around Strategies and Services
The P-TECH shall provide a system of support that encompasses career, academic, behavioral, and mental health support for all students.
5.6 Enrichment Opportunities
The P-TECH shall provide enrichment opportunities, including the following:
- A structured program of community service to promote community involvement
- Partnering with community businesses to expose students to a variety of potential career options and possible internship opportunities
- Establishing a mentorship program available to all students
- Parent outreach and involvement opportunities
- Family engagement to support rigorous course enrollment and college and career planning
5.7 College and Career Preparation
The P-TECH shall provide college and career awareness to current and prospective students and families, including the following:
- College application assistance
- Financial aid counseling
- College and career counseling
Benchmark 6: Work-Based Learning
Design Elements
6.1 Work-Based Learning Continuum
The P-TECH and business/industry partner(s) shall collaborate to ensure the P-TECH provides the following:
- Age-appropriate work-based learning for students in the P-TECH at every grade level that includes career exploration, career preparation, and career training
- Work-based learning experiences that are well-planned and properly sequenced to provide a progression of learning experiences for students - each one building upon the last
- Curriculum alignment among high school, postsecondary, and industry work-based learning experience requirements
- Work Based Learning Continuum
6.2 Work-Based Learning Offerings
Work-based learning may include, but is not limited to facility visits, guest speakers, presentations, career information, career fairs, interview training, skill development, resume workshops, informational interviewing, job shadowing, internships, mentoring, and apprenticeships.
- Work Based Learning Continuum
6.3 Student Participation
The P-TECH and business/industry partner(s) shall ensure that students:
- are provided opportunities to reflect on their work experiences
- demonstrate their learning in writing, portfolio, presentation, digital or by other means
- understand the connection between their work-based learning and academics
6.4 Enrichment and Extracurricular
The P-TECH and business/industry partner(s) shall ensure students are provided the opportunity to participate in enrichment and extracurricular opportunities, such as clubs, Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs), competitions, and special initiatives.
6.5 Student Data Tracking
The P-TECH shall biannually implement a structured data tracking system and process designed to identify student participation in work-based learning opportunities.
- The P-TECH will establish annual assessment measures and provide an opportunity for the business/industry partners to provide feedback on the value of work-based learning
- The P-TECH shall provide an assessment for measuring student progress to ensure students are on track to meet the outcomes-based measures