Texas Opportunity
High School Diploma
What is OHSD?
House Bill 8 by the 88th Texas Legislature was a historic win for higher education in Texas. The legislation included the Opportunity High School Diploma (OHSD) program in support of the state’s higher education strategic plan, Building a Talent Strong Texas. The OHSD program provides adult students enrolled in a career and technical education program at a public junior college in the state of Texas, as defined in Texas Education Code Section 61.003(2), the opportunity to earn a high school diploma through concurrent enrollment in a competency-based education program.
The competency-based education program is comprised of five core competencies (civics, communication skills, quantitative reasoning, scientific reasoning, and workplace success skills) with instructional outcomes and performance expectations set for each of the competencies.
Texas Education Code establishes that the OHSD is equivalent to a high school diploma conferred by a public school district.
Who is eligible for the OHSD program?
Adult students enrolled in the OHSD program who satisfactorily complete assessments approved by the Commissioner of Higher Education are eligible to earn a high school diploma through the public junior college in which they are enrolled.
Where is the OHSD program offered?
On November 14, 2024, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sent a memorandum through GovDelivery to all presidents of Texas public junior colleges calling for applications to offer the OHSD program. A panel of three evaluators reviewed and rated each application based on the strength of each applicant’s responses to required elements. Based on the final ratings, the Commissioner of Higher Education approved the following institutions to offer the OHSD program:
- Alamo Colleges District
- Dallas College
- El Paso Community College
- San Jacinto College District
- Del Mar College
Next Steps
The five approved institutions will convene no later than January 31, 2025, to examine baseline tuition and minimum contact hour equivalency for the OHSD program. The institutions will also collaborate to develop five assessments (one per core program competency) that align with the instructional outcomes and performance expectations no later than April 1, 2025. Implementation of and open enrollment for the OHSD program at each respective institution will commence in Quarter 3 of 2025.
Rules and Regulations
Authority for this program is in Texas Education Code Sections 130.451-130.458 and Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 12, Subchapter A, Sections 12.1-12.12.
Contact
Inquiries regarding the OHSD program should be sent to Nahum Pacheco, Senior Director, Employer Partnerships, Workforce Education
