(a) A school district or open-enrollment charter school that offers a hybrid or virtual course under this chapter must certify to the commissioner that the course:
(1) includes the appropriate essential knowledge and skills adopted under Subchapter A, Chapter 28;
(2) provides instruction at the appropriate level of rigor for the grade level at which the course is offered and will prepare a student enrolled in the course for the student's next grade level or a subsequent course in a similar subject matter; and
(3) except as provided by Subsection (b), meets standards for hybrid or virtual courses adopted by the commissioner.
(b) If the commissioner has not adopted applicable standards for hybrid or virtual courses, a school district or open-enrollment charter school that offers a hybrid or virtual course must instead certify to the commissioner that the course meets the National Standards for Quality Online Courses published by the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance, Quality Matters, and DLAC, or a successor publication.