Program recognition is a TSSB initiative to recognize a community or technical college workforce education award (credential) that has skill standards incorporated into the curriculum, classroom instruction, and assessments.  To date, 49 programs at 27 community and technical colleges across the state have received TSSB Program Recognition. TSSB recognition indicates to employers that a technical program is teaching the competencies, skills, and knowledge as defined by industry in the skill standards. Program recognition is valid for three years, at which time it may be renewed.

ELIGIBILITY
New or existing community and technical college Level 2 Certificate or Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree programs are eligible for TSSB Program Recognition.

BENEFITS
The TSSB will promote recognized programs to employers at staff outreach activities and will display them on the employer section of this website.   In addition, colleges will have the option, subject to a user agreement, of affixing a gold, embossed seal to the credential of every graduate of its TSSB-recognized program(s). The seal will signal to recruiting employers that program graduates have been taught the industry skill and knowledge requirements specified in the skill standards. The TSSB believes that as employers become aware of recognized programs, they will look to those programs as a likely source of qualified job applicants.  As employers hire more graduates, the program's placement statistics will improve, thereby attracting more students.

Colleges also may use TSSB program recognition to promote their programs in the local and higher education communities.  Colleges with recognized programs may use an electronic “TSSB-Recognized” seal to market that status on their print or internet-based media. Recognized programs also will be displayed in this web section, where they will have greater visibility among colleges and others visiting the site.

SKILL STANDARDS-BASED TECHNICAL CORE CURRICULUM
The TSSB, comprised of a majority of business and industry members, recognizes the desire of employers to see consistent, industry-defined student outcomes in any given program area, regardless of the college from which they recruit. To achieve that end, the TSSB believes that program recognition should be used to foster and promote the development of a common, skill standards-based technical core curriculum. The technical core ensures that both a statewide standard of industry-defined outcomes is met across colleges, and that specialized skill sets required by local or regional employers may be met in additional courses in any individual college’s program. Where one college has already received program recognition, the technical core curriculum that encompasses the skill standards content will be expected to evolve through the collaboration of additional colleges that subsequently seek TSSB recognition for the same type of program. Thus, both the original recognized program and institutions that follow shall collaborate, with the goal of agreement on a technical core that is broadly representative of their college programs.

PROGRAM RECOGNITION APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Community and technical colleges are required to submit a complete application for each Level 2 Certificate or AAS Degree program for which they are seeking TSSB Program Recognition.  The  Application for Program Recognition requires that the college:

1. Document the integration of skill standards into the program's technical education curriculum or technical core
    courses, if there is already a TSSB-recognized program in the occupational area.

2. Sign a statement of assurances indicating the institution's intention to teach to and assess the program's
    students on the basis of the skill standards.

3. Obtain approval of the skill standards-based curriculum by the program's industry advisory committee, as
    indicated by the chair's signature.

Click here  to access the step-by-step Program Recognition application process and links to related forms.

PROGRAM RECOGNITION RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS
Once a college has successfully applied for and received program recognition, it is valid for three years, at which time, the recognition may be renewed. Renewal requires that a college demonstrate that students' mastery of the skill standards content in the program is being assessed. The renewal process provides a quality assurance check that the college program is truly teaching to, and preparing students to perform, the industry-defined standards.

Program Recognition renewal requires that the college:

1. Submit a copy of the matrix for which the college has developed assessments for all the key activities.  This
     should be either:

    a. The original matrix for which the program was recognized by the Texas Skill Standards Board (TSSB).
         If a program revision has been approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board since TSSB
         recognition was granted, such that any course on the original matrix has been deleted or replaced by
         another course, the matrix must be amended, with changes highlighted.  In addition, a revised syllabus
         must be included for each course that has changed.

    OR

    b. The common matrix – if a technical core curriculum has been negotiated with other colleges since program
         recognition was granted.

2. Sign a  statement of assurances indicating that the college has developed and is using assessments to evaluate
     students' mastery of the key activities (or equivalent element) and related criteria, skills, and knowledge in the
     skill standards.

3. Provide sample  assessments that evaluate students' mastery of the key activities and related criteria, skills, and
     knowledge.

Click here  to access the step-by-step Program Recognition renewal process and links to related forms.