New Mexico Register / Volume XXIX, Issue 9 / May 15, 2018

 

 

TITLE 6               PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

CHAPTER 30     EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

PART 13               EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL

 

6.30.13.1               ISSUING AGENCY:  Public Education Department, herein after referred to as the "department".

[6.30.13.1 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.2               SCOPE:  This rule applies to all school districts and public schools.

[6.30.13.2 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.3               STATUTORY AUTHORITY:  This rule is promulgated pursuant to Sections 9-24-8 and 22-2-1 NMSA 1978.

[6.30.13.3 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.4               DURATION:  Permanent.

[6.30.13.4 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.5               EFFECTIVE DATE:  May 15, 2018, unless a later date is cited at the end of a section.

[6.30.13.5 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.6               OBJECTIVE:  This rule outlines the necessary qualifications to receive designation as a department-approved early college high school in New Mexico.

[6.30.13.6 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.7               DEFINITIONS:

                A.            “Career and technical education standards” means the content standards with benchmarks and performance standards defined in 6.29.3 NMAC for students in grades seven through twelve enrolled in career and technical education coursework.

                B.            “Career technical education” or “CTE” means a sequence of courses directly related to the preparation of individuals for employment in current or emerging occupations requiring an industry-recognized credential, certificate or degree.  This phrase is also referred to as “vocational education” in 22-14-1 NMSA 1978.

                C.            “Dual credit” means high school student enrollment in college-level courses offered by a postsecondary institution that allows students to earn credit toward high school graduation and a postsecondary degree or certificate simultaneously.

                D.            “Early college high school” or "ECHS" means a four-year high school that meets the qualifications outlined in 6.30.13.9 NMAC.

                E.            “Meta major” means a collection of majors with shared or similar coursework in alignment with a career field.

                F.            “Postsecondary partner” means a postsecondary educational institution that has an agreement or memorandum of understanding with an ECHS.

                G.            “Pathway” means a sequence of classes at the ECHS in partnership with the postsecondary partner that leads to a certification, associate's degree, or bachelor’s degree.

                H.            “Work-based learning” means activities that develop work place skills such as tours, job shadowing, work experience rotations, mentoring, entrepreneurships, service learning, internships, co-ops, or youth pre-apprenticeships aligned with a registered apprenticeship program under the New Mexico department of workforce solutions.

                I.             “Workforce recognized credential” means industry-recognized workforce credentials, certificates, associate’s degrees, or bachelor’s degrees from a postsecondary partner.

                J.             “Workforce partner” means a local business, regional workforce investment board, workforce connection, one stop shop, chamber of commerce, economic development corporation, council of government, tribal council, or other industry representative that provides ongoing mentoring and on-the-job experience that connects ECHS students to employment settings and helps them to develop employability skills.

[6.30.13.7 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.8               GOALS:  The goals for a department-approved ECHS are for all enrolled students to simultaneously earn a New Mexico high school diploma and earn a workforce recognized credential through the postsecondary partner.

[6.30.13.8 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.9               QUALIFICATIONS:  To be designated a department-approved ECHS, a school shall meet the following qualifications:

                A.            Integrates state standards into courses within a structured pathway that meets local and state graduation requirements.

                B.            Follows a pathway that results in a workforce recognized credential without tuition cost to the student or the student’s family.

                C.            Focuses on efforts to reach youth underrepresented in higher education by establishing outreach and recruiting processes striving for equitable access.  Focused recruiting efforts shall encourage applicants from underrepresented populations to enroll in an ECHS.

                D.            Accelerates student learning through the use of dual credit courses beginning no later than grade ten.  Dual credit courses shall:

                                (1)           accelerate the timeline for high school students to complete college;

                                (2)           be delivered through one or more postsecondary partners;

                                (3)           be tuition free;

                                (4)           be taught by instructors who meet the higher learning commission qualifications for college instructors;

                                (5)           use innovative, interactive, research-based support structures; and

                                (6)           align with:

                                                (a)           the pathway indicated on the student’s next step plan;

                                                (b)           the established New Mexico higher education general education curriculum; and

                                                (c)           either the student’s declared CTE pathway or declared major or meta

major.

                E.            Operates in partnership with one or more workforce partners.  Partnerships shall include:

                                (1)           meaningful work-based learning experiences in alignment with student pathways; and

                                (2)           CTE courses that use career and technical education standards to support core academic growth.

[6.30.13.9 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.10             APPLICATION:

                A.            ECHS applicants shall meet all of the qualifications listed in 6.30.13.9 NMAC.  Schools seeking initial designation as a department-approved ECHS shall submit an application on the department-designated form by July 1 of the year in which they seek to begin operating as an ECHS.

                B.            The initial application shall include:

                                (1)           a description of the proposed pathways;

                                (2)           a description of the proposed workforce-recognized credential for each pathway;

                                (3)           the projected number of students to be served;

                                (4)           a description of outreach and recruiting processes that incorporate targeted efforts to reach underrepresented populations;

                                (5)           a memorandum of understanding with at least one postsecondary partner that includes evidence of dual credit course offerings and support structures;

                                (6)           documentation of a partnership with at least one workforce partner that includes evidence of meaningful work-based learning experiences;

                                (7)           a sustainability plan that addresses continuing financial support and the support of the school board or governing body;

                                (8)           assurances that all district and school personnel are knowledgeable of the requirements to comply with 6.30.13 NMAC; and

                                (9)           evidence of tribal consultation to satisfy the goals of Article 23A NMSA 1978 including documentation of tribal consultation submitted annually to the department.

                C.            The department shall review initial applications for approval and confirm application acceptance or rejection by no later than August 1.  Schools not receiving initial approval may request reconsideration which may be granted at the discretion of the department.

[6.30.13.10 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.11             ANNUAL DATA REVIEW:

                A.            Data reviewed for compliance.  In order to evaluate program compliance with the qualifications outlined in 6.30.13.9 NMAC, the department shall annually review data collected through the department data reporting system.  Data evaluated to determine compliance shall include:

                                (1)           student attainment of work-force recognized credentials;

                                (2)           student participation in work-based learning experiences; and

                                (3)           students earning college credit, to be evaluated for the following minimum expectations:

                                                (a)           all students completing grade 11 have attempted a minimum of three postsecondary credit hours toward a workforce recognized credential; and

                                                (b)           at least eighty percent of students completing grade 12 have successfully completed a minimum of 12 postsecondary credit hours toward a workforce recognized credential.

                B.            Additional data reviewed.  The department shall review additional data including:

                                (1)           number of students enrolled;

                                (2)           student participation in each pathway; and

                                (3)           the percentage of low-income students enrolled in the ECHS compared to the percentage of low-income high school students enrolled in the district in which the ECHS is located.

[6.30.13.11 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.12             RENEWAL PROCESS:

                A.            Once an ECHS has received initial approval from the department, the ECHS will not be required to submit a new application for the following year.

                B.            The department shall review the data listed in Subsection A of  6.30.13.11 NMAC to determine continued compliance of the ECHS.  Based on this review, the department will determine whether the ECHS will be renewed without further conditions for the following year, or if the ECHS will be designated as on probation for non-compliance.

                C.            If an ECHS is determined by the department to be unable to demonstrate full compliance, the department shall issue a notice of non-compliance.

                D.            The department shall notify the ECHS of their status, whether renewed or non-compliant, no later than August 1.

                E.            Schools receiving a notice of non-compliance shall maintain their status as a department-approved ECHS and be placed on a one-year probation.  Schools shall use the probation year to make any changes required to be in full compliance.

                                (1)           Upon receipt of a notice of non-compliance from the department, schools shall submit an improvement plan addressing non-compliance issues to the department within 30 business days.

                                (2)           The department shall offer technical assistance to schools during the implementation of the improvement plan.

                                (3)           Schools may apply for an extension of their probationary period.  The decision to grant or deny such extension shall be at the discretion of the department secretary or his or her designated authority.

                                (4)           Schools granted an extended probation may be re-granted designation upon demonstrating compliance.

                F.            Schools not demonstrating compliance with 6.30.13 NMAC at the end of the probation year shall lose their designation as a department-approved ECHS.  Any school that has lost designation shall wait no less than one school year before re-applying for designation as a department-approved ECHS.

[6.30.13.12 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

6.30.13.13             WAIVERS:  A qualifying ECHS shall submit any waiver requests with their initial application in the format requested by the department.  Any waiver granted shall remain in effect for the duration of the school’s approval as a department-approved ECHS.  Schools that are non-renewed and not in their probationary year shall have all active waivers terminated.  Schools may request waivers of, but not limited to, the following:

                A.            individual class load and teaching load;

                B.            length of school day in compliance with Section 22-2-8-1 NMSA 1978;

                C.            staffing patterns;

                D.            subject areas;

                E.            purchase of instructional materials; and

                F.            course work requirements.

[6.30.13.13 NMAC - N, 5/15/2018]

 

HISTORY OF 6.30.13 NMAC: [RESERVED]