Dual Credit Program Guide: Counselors Guide

As a high school counselor, one of your many tasks is to to help students navigate the dual credit program. This webpage provides helpful links and information to do just that.

The East Texas A&M Dual Credit Program allows students to earn high school and college credits simultaneously, giving them a jump-start on their higher education journey. The opportunity can fast-track students’ progress toward a college degree and prepare them for the academic rigors of higher education.

Eligibility

Recent changes to the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) provide updated guidance on student eligibility for dual credit and the applicability of college readiness requirements. This page highlights key rules and definitions to support consistent understanding and implementation across schools and colleges.

TAC Rule 4.85 (b) Student Eligibility – outlines dual credit requirements and eligibility, with changes effective May 16, 2024.
TAC RULE 4.52 TSI Applicability
(b) This subchapter does not apply to the following students, and an institution shall not require these students to demonstrate college readiness pursuant to this subchapter.
(4) A student enrolled in high school who is a non-degree-seeking student as defined in §4.53(8) of this subchapter (relating to Definitions).
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board clarified in its FAQs that a high school student who is not degree seeking is not required to be TSI-met, i.e. college ready to attempt dual credit. (Rule 4.52(b)(4)). An institution is prohibited from making these students be college ready.
TAC 4.85(b)(1) Dual Credit Requirements
School districts/charters/private schools may only require the same dual credit course enrollment pre-requisites or additional requirements that are imposed on a high school student by the partnering institution of higher education at which the student is enroll.
TAC RULE 4.53 TSI Definitions
The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context indicates otherwise.
(8) Non-Degree-Seeking Student–A student who has not filed a degree plan with an institution of higher education and is not required to do so pursuant to Texas Education Code, §51.9685.
Texas Education Code 51.9685 (c-2) Required Filing of Degree Plan
TAC RULE 4.54 TSI Exemption
(b) A student who achieves the passing standard on an assessment as set out in this subsection shall be deemed exempt from the requirements of the Texas Success Initiative. An institution shall not require an exempt student to provide any additional demonstration of college readiness and shall allow an exempt student to enroll in an entry-level academic course as defined in §4.53(13) of this title (relating to Definitions).
(d) An institution may exempt a non-degree-seeking or non-certificate-seeking student not otherwise exempt under this section.

Fast

Beginning Fall 2013, the State of Texas adopted the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program. The FAST program, as outlined in Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 13, Subchapter Q, provides funding to participating public institutions of higher education so they can offer dual credit courses to educationally disadvantaged students at no cost to these students.

The Texas Education Code (TEC) defines “educationally disadvantaged” as those students eligible for the national free/reduced-price lunch program. A student who meets this requirement in any of the four school years prior to the academic year in which the student is enrolled in the eligible dual credit course may be eligible for the FAST program.

Each semester, an institution will complete two processes related to the FAST program. The first process requires an institution to securely upload a roster file of registered dual credit students to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). This roster will be evaluated by the THECB against Texas Education Agency (TEA) data to confirm whether students were reported as educationally disadvantaged. The THECB will return an updated roster to institutions including an educationally disadvantaged indicator to confirm student eligibility.

Because of the FAST process, East Texas A&M will apply a temporary waiver to clear dual credit balances until it can be determined which students are eligible for FAST and who are not. The waiver will also keep dual credit students off the drop list. Once we are notified by the THECB of students eligible for FAST, we will bill non-FAST students directly or their school district, depending on the agreement for their charges. Payments may be made in full or over the remaining months on a payment plan. FAST students will not receive a bill for their tuition/fees or course materials. School districts will be billed for course materials.

Commit to ROAR Scholarship

The Commit to ROAR Scholarship awards a graduating East Texas A&M University dual credit student a $2000 scholarship issued as $1000 for the Fall and $1000 for the Spring during the student's first year as a degree-seeking student at ET.

Available fall semester following high school graduation ONLY.
Non-renewable.
May be combined with additional freshman and donor-funded scholarships.

ELIGIBILITY:

Students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the Commit to ROAR Scholarship:

12 credit hours earned through East Texas A&M's Dual Credit Program.
2.75 minimum college GPA earned through East Texas A&M University dual credit coursework.
Must maintain a 2.75 college GPA or better through the student's first fall and spring semesters as a degree-seeking student.
Must enroll in a minimum of 15 credit hours each term, fall and spring, of degree- seeking first year.

*Graduating seniors who take dual credit courses through East Texas A&M University will be automatically admitted as a first-time, full-time students if they opt in before they graduate. Dual credit seniors should look for communication offering the chance to OPT IN for the Fall semester following graduation. Counselors will have access to this information as well and may offer it to their graduating seniors.

Texas Success Initiative

The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) is a State of Texas legislatively mandated program designed to guide public institutions of higher education to determine if a student is ready for college-level coursework in the general areas of Reading, Writing and Mathematics.

If you are an incoming college student in Texas, you are required to take the TSI Assessment — unless you are already exempt (see exemption requirements below under “Do All Students Have to Take the TSI Assessment?”) — to determine your readiness for college-level work. Within the Dual Credit program, students must meet the minimum required score(s) (see below for qualifying scores) in the areas of ELAR (Reading/Writing), and/or Math to take certain courses.

How does the TSI assessment work?

If you are not exempt from taking the TSI Assessment based on the list of exemptions listed on the next page, you will need to take the TSI Assessment in the area(s) relevant to the Dual Credit course you wish to take (if applicable) within the test and where necessary, you may be given an additional diagnostic test in a particular subject.

The assessments are computer adaptive, which means that questions increase or decrease in difficulty level depending on how you respond. The assessments are untimed.

Do all students have to take the TSI assessment?

Not all students need to take the TSI Assessment; there are several ways to be exempt. Qualifying for a TSI Assessment exemption means that you can enroll in any entry-level college course without restrictions (see prior section on Dual Credit Eligibility for non-degree seeking students). A student is exempt from TSI requirements if the student meets one of the following test conditions. Students may not combine scores from different administrations of the same test.

Students who have satisfactorily completed college-level coursework in mathematics, reading, or writing with a grade of ‘C’ or better, including a high school student who has earned college credit for a dual credit course or a course offered under §4.86 of this chapter (relating to Optional Dual Credit or Dual Enrollment Program: College Connect Courses), with a grade of ‘C’ or better, is considered coursework exempt. An official college transcript of coursework completed is required.

Registration

Registration takes place AFTER students have applied and all documents—Test scores, Transcripts, Meningitis documentation (if applicable)—have been received by the University. To aid with this process we offer reports and templates.

Dual Credit Application Report

As soon as applications are received by Admissions, our office is able to run the Dual Credit Application Report showing which students have applied. The report also supplies details such as the date the application was submitted, what items are preventing the student from being accepted (such as the high school transcript, which is required for admission to the university), any test scores received, dates documents were received, TSI status and much more.

Class Roster Template:

Download the roster template and save it as an online spreadsheet.
Complete the roster according to the instructions within the document.
If you need Course and section numbers and/or CRN, please contact Secondary Partnerships.
Once you finish filling out the roster, share the document as indicated in the spreadsheet so changes to the rosters may be made in real time. Further instructions are listed within the spreadsheet.

Add/Drop Form

The Add/Drop form must be used starting with the first day of class.
Students may not be added after the 4^th class day.

Dual Credit Scholastic Probation and Suspension

To maintain a high level of scholarship among the students of East Texas A&M, standards of scholarship must be maintained. Policy 13.99.99.R0.41 Undergraduate Academic Probation, Suspension, Appeal, and Readmission delineates the process afforded to undergraduate students for probation, suspension, appeal, and readmission.

A satisfactory level of academic achievement is determined on the basis of each student’s institutional grade point average calculated on the basis of all college level academic work attempted. To be eligible for continued enrollment in good standing in the university, a student must maintain a minimum institutional grade point average of 2.00.

Academic Probation Intervention Process

Should any dual credit student fail to maintain satisfactory progress as specified by these regulations, the student will be permitted to enroll for further work under our Academic Probation Intervention Process. The goal of this intervention process is to educate dual credit students and our high school partners on the effects of not remaining in Good Standing academically and to keep students from progressing to Academic Suspension. This academic intervention process coupled with our early intervention and mid-term grade reporting, tutoring resources, and high school interventions, will ultimately assist students with staying on track for timely completion of their dual credit courses and/or associate degrees only on academic probation.

Starting with students enrolled for fall 2024 and after, East Texas A&M will begin grade checks at the end of each semester, reviewing students' final grades. For students earning a D or F in a course, if allowed to continue taking dual credit per school district guidelines for next term will be required to:

Repeat courses failed the following semester (if offered) or as soon as available (exceptions will be determined if extenuating circumstances)
Meet with high counselor before being registered for next semester
Meet during the second week of August (fall terms) or second week of January (spring terms) after the start of the term with a ETAMU representative from Secondary Partnerships and high school designated personnel to discuss their academic probation and review of ETAMU policy 13.99.99.R0.41 Undergraduate Academic Probation, Suspension, Appeal and Readmission and signing of the Academic Probation Intervention Contract
Complete at least 9 documented hours of tutoring by the end of the semester in the respective course(s)

To qualify for continued enrollment while on probation, however, the student must maintain a semester grade point average of at least 2.00. A student on academic probation will remain subject to the requirements of probation until such time as their institutional GPA rises to a 2.0 or higher.

Academic suspension ensues when a student already on academic probation fails to earn and/or maintain at least a 2.0 institutional semester GPA. Students on academic suspension are no longer eligible to be enrolled at the University. If already registered for the following semester, their course schedule will be dropped.

Should the student fail again to maintain an adequate 2.00 semester grade point average in academic courses attempted during that semester, Academic suspension ensues. Students on academic suspension may appeal that status. Appeals are heard at the conclusion of fall and spring only after grades are posted. The student will be required to leave the University on academic suspension for up to one calendar year as specified above. After the period of academic suspension, the student will be permitted to enroll again on academic probation.

A student must be in residence at East Texas A&M to remove the conditions of probation. If the student comes out of school for any intervening period, either voluntarily or as required by the regulations of the University or attends another college or university, the conditions of probation will not be removed.