TTU K-12 Partners With Chinese Academy of Sciences on Dual-Diploma Program

Hundreds of Chinese students will work to earn an American high school diploma.

By Leslie Cranford, Media Relations Coordinator

TTU K-12 has signed an agreement with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to offer the opportunity for Chinese high school students to earn their Chinese and American diplomas simultaneously.

"Our contingent spent 10 days in China earlier in the summer, meeting with CAS officials and others to make this happen," said Justin R. Louder, associate vice provost for Texas Tech University eLearning & Academic Partnerships. "Up to 200 high school students per year will have the opportunity to enroll in and graduate from Texas Tech University High School."

Louder said the dual-diploma option gives Chinese students the opportunity to become eligible for the ACT and/or SAT and subsequently attend American colleges and universities.

TTU K-12's agreement came on the heels of Texas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec's trip to China where he signed an agreement with five Chinese universities.

Melanie Hart, vice provost for Texas Tech's eLearning & Academic Partnerships, says it has always been the mission of TTU K-12 to provide educational solutions to students worldwide.

"Since its inception, TTU K-12 has offered students educational options outside the realm of traditional brick-and-mortar schooling," she said. "As global education becomes increasingly important, Texas Tech has become a leader in presenting international learning opportunities for students of all ages."

Headquartered in Beijing, CAS is the world's largest research organization with satellite institutes all over mainland China, comprising around 60,000 researchers working in 114 institutes. It has been consistently ranked among the top research organizations around the world, which makes this an ideal partnership with Texas Tech, also a top-ranked research institution.

Established by the State Board of Education in 1993, TTU K-12 was designed to help students whose educational challenges were not being met adequately by traditional schools. Since then, it has grown to serve students across the country and in more than 65 countries around the world.

Providing educational solutions by offering more than 160 courses, the full-time course of study allows students to ultimately earn an accredited Texas high school diploma. The program offers full-time and supplementary solutions as well as credit by examination.

TTU K-12 is accredited by the Texas Education Agency, and the high school courses are NCAA-approved to meet eligibility standards. All courses and credit-by-exams are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests.

Find out more about TTU K-12.

 

Representatives from both TTU K-12 and the Chinese Academy of Sciences sign official documents forming the formal partnership.

 

Officials from TTU K-12 and CAS outside the Chinese Academy of Sciences headquarters.