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Round Rock ISD presents College Pathways program to expand college-credit access beginning in middle school
Summary
Trustees worked through a mock eighth-grade profile as staff outlined a new College Pathways program that embeds AP, IB, dual credit and OnRamps options into a four-year planning process (Launch = 30 credits; Momentum = 42; Associate = 60) and emphasized counseling supports and annual checks; no vote was taken.
Round Rock Independent School District trustees met for an academic workshop where staff unveiled a College Pathways program aimed at ensuring every student can access college-credit courses and build a four‑year plan beginning in middle school.
The program framework presented by Natalie Nichols, senior chief of schools and innovation, and Rodrigo Portillo, assistant superintendent for academics, outlines three stacked pathways: a Launch pathway (about 30 college credits), Momentum (42 credits) and an associate-degree route (60 credits) that students can assemble through a mix of AP, IB, dual credit and OnRamps coursework in partnership with Austin Community College (ACC). "We call that achieving through change," Nichols said, adding that the district aims to move mindsets so students and families plan for postsecondary options earlier.
Why it matters: Nichols cited state goals and labor forecasts—referring to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's "60 by 30" goal and projections that a large share…
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