Reference Course Profiles

Welcome to the Reference Course Profile Dissemination Portal for the Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative (TCCRI), a three-year project designed to improve alignment between secondary and postsecondary education in Texas. This portal provides Reference Course Profiles for both core subjects and career and technical education (CTE) courses. Directions and links to accompanying materials are included within each Reference Course Profile.

What is a Reference Course Profile?

A Reference Course Profile is a composite of similar entry-level courses that align with the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2008. Each profile consists of a course description, sample syllabus, reference lists, etc., as well as attendant course materials, such as assignments, assessments, and, in some cases, scoring rubrics. The Reference Course Profiles were derived from an extensive study of over 900 entry-level college courses currently offered at Texas institutions of higher education. The College and Career Readiness Standards addressed in each course are explicitly identified in each Reference Course Profile.

What are the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards and how do they relate to Reference Course Profiles?

The Texas College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) were commissioned in response to HB 1, passed by the Texas State Legislature in 2006. The law specified that teams of secondary and postsecondary faculty were to evaluate and determine the knowledge and skills incoming college students need in order to succeed in college and the workplace. The teams drafted the standards in 2007, and they were subsequently made available for public comment. After revisions were incorporated in response to input from constituents (including significant numbers of postsecondary faculty) the CCRS were adopted in January 2008 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and transmitted to the Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education for use in the alignment of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) with college and career readiness. The THECB conducted further studies during the spring of 2008 to validate the CCRS by comparing them to what was actually being taught in over 900 entry-level college courses throughout Texas. Several minor changes were made as a result of the study, which confirmed a high degree of alignment between the CCRS and the expectations of Texas postsecondary faculty. These studies involved Texas postsecondary faculty submitting course documents, which served as the foundation for the Reference Course Profiles.

How can I access the Reference Course Profiles?

After logging in, you will be taken to a landing page, which will provide additional information about Reference Course Profiles. At the bottom of this page, course titles (reflecting both core and CTE subjects) are organized by category. The categories are active links that will take you to subject-specific pages where you will find lists of the Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual's Exemplary Educational Objectives. From here, you can select specific course titles and download PDF and/or Word versions of the course documents.

Scheduled Maintenance

Reference Course Profiles will be shut down every Monday from 6:30pm to 8:30pm PDT for regular, scheduled maintenance.