The High School Equivalency Program (HSEP) or In-School GED Option Program will provide an alternative for high school students, age 16 and over, who are at risk of not graduating from high school and earning a high school diploma. The purpose of the program is to prepare eligible students to take a high school equivalency examination. Any school district can apply for authorization to operate a high school equivalency program in the State of Texas. As part of the application process, the Commissioner of Education for Texas shall require a district or school to provide information regarding the operation of any similar program during the preceding five years. A school district or open-enrollment charter school authorized by the commissioner on or before August 31, 2003, to operate a program may continue to operate that program if they renew their application. A school district or open-enrollment charter school may not increase enrollment of students in a program authorized by this section by more than five percent of the number of students enrolled in the similar program operated by the district or school during the 2000-2001 school year.
Students participating in the program must have taken the assessment instrument specified by Section 39.023(a) for Grade 9 before entering the program and must take each grade level assessment instrument administered during the period in which the student is enrolled in the program. A student who has received a high school equivalency certificate is entitled to enroll in a public school and to benefit from the Foundation School Program in the same manner as any other students who have not received a high school diploma.
The board of trustees of a school district or the governing board of an open-enrollment charter school must hold a public hearing concerning the In-school GED Option Program application before submitting the application to the state education agency. Additionally, a public hearing must be conducted annually to review the performance of the program.
The Commissioner of Education may revoke a school district’s In-School GED Option Program after consideration of relevant factors, including student performance in state mandated assessment, success rate of participants in the high school equivalency examination, and other criteria adopted by the Commissioner. The Commissioner is required to report to the state legislature regarding the implementation of the program.
School districts and open-enrollment charter schools and In-school GED Option Program participants have a vested interest in the success of the program. The program application will be carefully scrutinized to determine eligibility of participation.
Reporting:
HSEP Forms - Information and how to request
PEIMS Reporting - ADA Funding for HSEP Students
Annual Reporting for American Council on Education, GED Testing Service
Program Authorization
Texas Education Code - Chapter §29.087
Commissioner's Rules - Chapter 89, Subchapter DD
Additional Information:
GED Home Page
American Council on Education - GED (GEDTS)
GED Test Center Locator
HSEP
Ronald Heinrich, Manager
Texas Education Agency
1701 N. Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
512.475.3541
hsep@tea.state.tx.us