Industry-Based Certification Reimbursements Update and Information: Deadline Extension

This letter provides an update on the extension of the deadline for districts to submit data to receive an Industry-Based Certification (IBC) Examination Reimbursement. 

Texas Education Code (TEC), §48.156, permits the state to provide a one-time reimbursement to districts and open-enrollment charter schools to help defray the cost of IBC exams taken by students in Grades 9-12. Only one reimbursement per student is allowable for a passed exam. LEAs will receive estimated funding annually for IBC exam reimbursement. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will settle up with LEAs in the spring of the following year once cost and certifying entity information has been collected through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). 

On August 6, 2020, TEA released a To The Administrator Addressed letter detailing the HB 3 IBC Examination Reimbursement policy. The letter outlined the instructions for requesting reimbursement for IBCs earned from September 1, 2019, to May 31, 2020. Although these IBCs were reported in the 2019-2020 PEIMS summer submission, PEIMS did not include fields for cost and certifying entity, which are required for reimbursement. Therefore, districts must submit to TEA the list of these IBCs with the cost and certifying entity. TEA provided notice in the August 6, 2020, letter that the deadline to submit these IBCs was October 2, 2020. 

Based on stakeholder feedback, TEA will extend the deadline to November 2, 2020. TEA will not accept submissions after November 2, 2020. 

Information regarding the details of the IBC reimbursement policy, including instructions and the location of submission, can be found on the TEA website. 

For additional questions, please contact Advanced Academics at advancedacademics@tea.texas.gov or 512-463-9762.