Program Recognition

Program recognition is a TSSB initiative to recognize a community or technical college workforce education award (credential) that has skill standards incorporated into the curricula, classroom instruction, and assessments.  TSSB recognition signals to employers that a technical program is teaching the competencies, skills, and knowledge as identified by industry in the skill standards. Program recognition is valid for three years, at which time it may be renewed. (See Program Recognition Renewal Requirements below.)

Links to Key Documents
-- View A User's Guide: Incorporating Skill Standards into
     Community and Technical College Curriculum (PDF Format)
 -- View the TSSB Application for Program Recognition (PDF Format)
-- Download Application Cover Page
 -- Download Notification of Intent to Apply for TSSB Program Recognition
-- Download Notification of Intent to Apply for TSSB Program Recognition (Perkins Incentive Award Recipients)
-- Download Key Activities to WECM Courses Integration Matrix Template and Instructions
-- Download Key Activities to Course Learning Outcomes Matrix Template and Instructions
-- Download Program Recognition Renewal Application Cover
-- Download Program Recognition Renewal Application Form

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ELIGIBILITY

New or existing community and technical college Level 2 Certificate or Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree programs are eligible to apply 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 web site.   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 can also use TSSB Program Recognition to promote their programs in the local and higher education communities.  Recognized programs will be displayed in this section also, where they will have greater visibility among colleges and others visiting the site. 

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 (see link to document above) requires that the college:

  1. Document the integration of skill standards into the program's technical education curriculum.
  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.

PROGRAM RECOGNITION RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS
Once a college has successfully applied for and received program recognition, it must renew the recognition after three years. 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. Confirm that the placement of key activities in the program's courses, as documented in the original program recognition matrix, has not changed, or if changes have been made, or the skill standards have been updated, submit a revised matrix. (TSSB will notify colleges in advance of skill standards updates.)
  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.

RECOGNIZED PROGRAMS

Click here to see a list of TSSB recognized college programs.