Inflexion partnered with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop a custom certification tool that connected high school teachers, community colleges, and state accreditation bodies. This solution ensured that dual enrollment courses met statewide standards, allowing students to earn credits that seamlessly transferred to any community college in Texas. Over a nine-month development period, Inflexion delivered a streamlined, scalable system that simplified credential submissions and reviews. Inflexion’s approach included full knowledge transfer and ownership handoff, empowering the TEA to maintain long-term sustainability while achieving high-stakes quality assurance at scale.
Client Background
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) oversees public education across the state of Texas, managing initiatives that enhance learning opportunities for millions of students. Dual enrollment programs, which allow high school students to earn college credits through local community colleges, are a vital part of TEA’s efforts to expand access to higher education. However, to ensure the quality and consistency of these courses statewide, TEA required a certification process to evaluate and approve teachers and course content.
The Challenge
Before partnering with Inflexion, the Texas Education Agency faced significant challenges in managing the credentialing process for dual enrollment programs. High school teachers needed a streamlined way to submit their credentials and course materials for approval. Community colleges and state accreditation bodies required a centralized system to review and certify these submissions efficiently. Without a dedicated tool, managing the process across Texas’ vast network of educators and institutions was labor-intensive, inconsistent, and unsustainable. TEA needed a robust, flexible solution that could support this certification process while providing long-term autonomy. The challenge was clear: design, develop, and deliver a system capable of handling statewide dual enrollment certifications quickly, efficiently, and sustainably.
The Solution
Inflexion worked closely with TEA to create a custom certification tool tailored to their specific needs. The system streamlined the entire credentialing process, connecting high school teachers, community colleges, and accreditation bodies within a single platform. The result was a lightweight, scalable platform that simplified credentialing, facilitated collaboration, and provided TEA with the independence to operate and manage the system long after project completion.
Key features of the solution included:
- Centralized Credential Submission: Teachers could submit course materials and credentials online for review.
- Dynamic Review and Approval Process: The system routed submissions to community colleges and state accreditation bodies for multi-step evaluation, ensuring courses met dual enrollment standards.
- Custom API Development: Inflexion designed the system as a modular solution, allowing TEA to purchase the API and maintain full control over its long-term use and updates.
- Sustainability and Knowledge Transfer: Inflexion worked alongside TEA’s internal developers during the two-year support period, ensuring a smooth handoff of code, processes, and system ownership.
Implementation
Over a focused nine-month development process, Inflexion collaborated closely with the TEA to bring the project to life. Using agile workflows, Inflexion developed a modular tool that was delivered on time and ready for statewide deployment. Following the launch, Inflexion provided two years of dedicated support, partnering with TEA’s in-house developers to facilitate seamless code transfer and ensure the platform’s ongoing reliability. This hands-on approach not only addressed immediate challenges but also future-proofed the system, enabling TEA to manage and expand the tool independently over time.
Results
TEA’s ownership of the API empowered them to update and manage the system independently. By delivering a sustainable, high-quality solution, Inflexion equipped TEA to continue expanding access to college credits for high school students statewide.
Inflexion’s custom certification tool delivered measurable results:
- Streamlined Credentialing: Teachers, community colleges, and state agencies now had a centralized platform to manage dual enrollment certifications efficiently.
- Statewide Quality Assurance: Courses approved through the system seamlessly counted toward credits at all community colleges across Texas, ensuring consistency and reliability.
- Scalable Solution: Inflexion’s modular approach provided TEA with long-term autonomy and eliminated vendor lock-in, reducing ongoing costs.
- Rapid Delivery: The system was developed and launched within nine months, meeting tight timelines without compromising quality.
