Description:
To launch a ECHSprogram, a district must submit a Planning Year Application to be eligible to open a new ECHScampus, become a member of the TEA's official planning year cohort, and begin serving students the following academic year.
The ECHS Planning Year Application is open throughout the fall semester. Eligible Districts are notified of their status in the Spring to provide 12-18 months of ECHS planning. Over the course of the planning year, the ECHS Leadership Team will receive technical assistance to meet ECHS Blueprint requirements via an assigned technical assistance coach. By the end of the planning year, all design elements contained in the sixBenchmarks should be embedded into school structures.
After meeting the design elements of the ECHS Blueprint, the ECHS is ready to serve students and may apply for Provisional Designation. New ECHSs remain Provisional for four years and are held accountable to Provisional Outcomes-Based Measures (OBM) during this time. The TEA will provide technical assistance to the ECHS leadership team to promote implementation of the ECHS model with fidelity. Each year, the TEA will provide OBM data for informational purposes, throughout the Provisional phase so that ECHSs can respond to challenges and be ready to meet Designated ECHS OBM Criteria.
At the end of the 4th year, the ECHS must apply for Designation status and must meet the state's Designated OBM criteria. TEA requires Designation renewal annually for each ECHS Campus. Campuses that meet the Distinguished OBM criteria for any of the three OBM categories of Access, Attainment, and Achievement will receive one or more Distinctions.
Note: TEA is currently in a phase-in process for the new ECHS Blueprint. All data are for information and planning purposes only. This information will not be used to determine designation status.
- ECHSRoadmap to Opening (PDF)
