Evaluating College and Career Readiness School Models in Texas
In 2023, AIR launched a study to evaluate the implementation of College and Career Readiness School Models (CCRSM) in Texas. CCRSMs are open enrollment programs that blend high school and college coursework to help students develop technical skills, earn college credentials and degrees, and pursue in-demand career paths, with a particular focus on students who are historically underrepresented in higher education.
The Texas Education Agency sought to understand how campus leaders were implementing CCRSMs and how these programs influenced student outcomes.
The study findings are summarized in a series of three briefs:
1. College and Career Readiness School Models: What Works According to Students?
This brief highlights the perspectives of high school students who successfully graduated from Early College High School (ECHS) and Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools (P-TECH) programs in Texas. Findings show that students felt supported by teachers and staff in their ECHS and P-TECH programs, but they did not feel well-prepared to independently navigate their education after high school graduation.
2. College and Career Readiness School Models: Barriers to and Facilitators of Implementation
This brief describes implementation successes and challenges as perceived by program staff. Schools reported challenges managing the relationship with higher education partners and changing staff mindsets to believe that high school students were capable of succeeding in college-level course work.
3. College and Career Readiness School Model Programs in Texas: Exploring Access for All Students
This brief describes CCRSM program performance related to participant enrollment. Findings show that the majority of ECHS and P-TECH programs served students whose characteristics resembled the population of students districtwide.
The results of the implementation study helped leadership coaches at Educate Texas, who support CCRSMs throughout the state, to understand emerging practices associated with program sustainability, variations in partnerships with institutions of higher education, and adaptations of the CCRSM programs in different contexts.
In fall 2025, AIR initiated a longitudinal study to examine the impact of CCRSM programs on students’ short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes.
