2025 CCRSM Partners Connect

Participants will gain an understanding of the CCRSM network, and the vital role of Institutions of Higher Education layered in the CCRSM Benchmarks, Design Elements, and Outcome Based Measures. This session will help guide participants in understanding Texas CCRSM and the role of IHE partners. This session is recommended for IHE liaisons, faculty, advisors and other support staff working with ECHS and/or P-TECH models.

This session will provide participants with an overview of CCRSM IHE Partnerships, Benchmark 2: Partnerships, and key elements for supporting and building partnerships. During this session, participants will learn best practices that will aid them in building strong relationships with their IHE partner, while also engaging with other attendees through collaborative facilitation. In addition, this session will allow attendees the opportunity to discuss shared challenges and successes.

This session highlights professional development opportunities for faculty, focused on strategic instructional practices to improve student outcomes and achievement in the dual credit classroom. While the relationship between academic skills and content knowledge is fundamental to student success, explicitly teaching both skills and content in the classroom can be challenging, especially at the college level. In-class instruction often focuses content while academic skill development is generally reserved for wraparound support services. However, teaching practices designed with cognitive complexity in mind allow dual credit faculty to embed academic skill development in their content lessons, providing essential learning support for all students during instruction. This presentation will introduce participants to the concept of cognitive complexity, describe how it directly benefits dual credit teaching and learning, and identify concrete strategies that instructors from a variety of academic content areas can implement in their courses. Resources for these strategies, as well as information on continuing professional development, will also be provided.