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Keller ISD to expand college-credit options with Tarleton agreements, administrators say
Summary
Trustees approved two memoranda of understanding with Tarleton State University to expand dual-enrollment options across the district and create a guaranteed-admission and scholarship pathway for Keller ISD graduates; administrators said the move reduces hidden fees, broadens course offerings and will preserve TCC arrangements for Keller Collegiate Academy students.
Keller ISD trustees voted unanimously to approve two agreements with Tarleton State University on Feb. 27: a memorandum of understanding for Tarleton Today's dual-enrollment program and an MOU creating a "distinguished high school" partnership that guarantees admission and scholarship boosts for qualifying Keller graduates.
Kristen, the district’s director of counseling, described problems with the district’s longtime dual-credit partner, Tarrant County College (TCC), including inconsistent grade reporting, data-transfer failures and extra fees (TCC-plus charges) that sometimes fall to students or the district. The Tarleton agreement, she said, uses open educational resources for course materials and does not require the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA/TSI) for enrollment in the Tarleton Today courses — a change administrators say will broaden access.
"There is no charge for free and reduced students," Kristen said when trustees asked about parent costs; administration also said the district will pay a one-time $500-per-teacher training fee to prepare campus instructors for Tarleton courses. Administration noted Keller Collegiate Academy (KCA) will remain with TCC for now because the district has invested materials and degree progress there.
The second MOU guarantees admission to Tarleton for Keller ISD students who graduate in the top 50% of their class and offers scholarship enhancements ($500 for top-50% graduates, $1,000 for top-10%). Trustees discussed conversion logistics, stipend expectations for teachers and the portability of credits; staff said Tarleton transcripts are university-level credits that generally travel more readily than a community-college transcript.
Why it matters: The change aims to expand access to college-level coursework, remove some barriers that limited enrollment in dual credit, and provide a clearer pathway to a four-year university for many Keller graduates.
