Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative
Project Rationale
House Bill 1, passed by the 79th Texas Legislature, initiated the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards, a joint project with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
The bill, entitled "Advancement of College Readiness in Curriculum," mandated the creation of Vertical Teams (VT), consisting of faculty from both secondary and post-secondary institutions for the purpose of developing standards specifying the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in entry-level courses at institutions of higher education. EPIC's role is the facilitation of the development and implementation of the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) in four content areas: English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Additional deliverables include Current Practice Course Profiles, representing current practices in entry-level college courses across Texas institutions, and College Readiness Assignments and Scoring Guides, designed to help prepare and assess high school seniors for college readiness.