#60x30TX College Completion Plan: What to Expect

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's new plan aims to help 60% of Texans aged 25-34 earn post secondary credential by 2030.

Here's how colleges and universities can prepare the details of the new plan:

  

60x30TX Higher Education Completion Plan: What to Expect

1. The three focus areas of the plan are completion, marketable skills, and student debt.

2. The plan places increased emphasis on adult learners in the workforce (ages 25-34).

3. Closing achievement gaps is now tied to workforce readiness and competitiveness.  In order to achieve workforce readiness and completion goals, we will have to "close the gaps" based on shifting demographics in Texas.

4. An emphasis on a variety of post-secondary credentials rather than one specific credential.  Post-secondary credentials include certificates, associate's degrees, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees.

5. Many new jobs created in Texas may require certificates or associate's degrees.

6. Universities may need to consider offering certificates to meet workforce needs and demonstrate marketable skills of degree programs.

7. Universities may consider combining degrees with certificates to demonstrate marketable skills of degree programs.

8. Colleges and universities may need to identify and clearly articulate marketable skills associated with each degree program.

9. Completion is tied to workforce readiness and competitiveness.

10. Colleges and universities may need to monitor their distribution of majors among students to demonstrate attainment of marketable skills.

11. Total student loan debt may be benchmarked against first year earnings of graduates.

12. Degrees per $100,000 of spending metric ties spending to degree attainment and increases emphasis on accountability, reducing spending, and student loan debt.

13. Paths to completion will likely include competency based education, prior learning assessment, and distance education.

How will your institution prepare to meet this new completion agenda?

Leave a comment to let me know.