| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to measures to support public secondary and postsecondary |
|
|
American history and civics education, including the satisfaction |
|
|
of curriculum requirements in American History at institutions of |
|
|
higher education and the establishment of the American History and |
|
|
Civics Project. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 51.302(b), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or |
|
|
university receiving state support or state aid from public funds |
|
|
may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic |
|
|
certificate to any person unless the person has credit for six |
|
|
semester hours or its equivalent in American History. A student is |
|
|
entitled to submit as much as three semester hours of credit or its |
|
|
equivalent in Texas History in partial satisfaction of this |
|
|
requirement. The college or university shall ensure that a student |
|
|
may satisfy this requirement by successfully completing survey |
|
|
courses that address the major themes of American history from the |
|
|
nation's founding onward. The college or university may determine |
|
|
that a student has satisfied this requirement in whole or part on |
|
|
the basis of credit granted to the student by the college or |
|
|
university for a substantially equivalent course completed at |
|
|
another accredited college or university, or on the basis of the |
|
|
student's successful completion of an advanced standing |
|
|
examination administered on the conditions and under the |
|
|
circumstances common for the college or university's advanced |
|
|
standing examinations. The college or university may grant as much |
|
|
as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent toward |
|
|
satisfaction of this requirement for substantially equivalent work |
|
|
completed by a student in the program of an approved senior R.O.T.C. |
|
|
unit. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 61.0519 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 61.0519. AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS PROJECT. (a) In |
|
|
this section, "project" means the American History and Civics |
|
|
Project. |
|
|
(b) The board, in consultation with institutions of higher |
|
|
education, shall establish the American History and Civics Project |
|
|
to: |
|
|
(1) strengthen American history and civics education |
|
|
at public high schools and institutions of higher education; and |
|
|
(2) encourage the development and effective use of |
|
|
high-quality digital content and professional development |
|
|
materials for use in American history and civics education at |
|
|
public high schools and institutions of higher education. |
|
|
(c) The board shall convene an expert commission of scholars |
|
|
and educators to assist in the creation of the project. |
|
|
(d) Using funds appropriated or otherwise available for |
|
|
purposes of the project, the board shall award grants to |
|
|
individuals with relevant subject matter expertise, school |
|
|
districts, or institutions of higher education to recommend and |
|
|
develop digital content and professional development materials for |
|
|
use in American history and civics education at public high schools |
|
|
and institutions of higher education. |
|
|
(e) Digital content recommended or developed using a grant |
|
|
awarded under Subsection (d) may include interactive and |
|
|
audiovisual resources, assignments, and model syllabuses that: |
|
|
(1) address the major themes of American history from |
|
|
the nation's founding onward; and |
|
|
(2) may be used in the delivery of: |
|
|
(A) survey courses offered by institutions of |
|
|
higher education; |
|
|
(B) dual credit or dual enrollment courses |
|
|
offered by public high schools or institutions of higher education; |
|
|
or |
|
|
(C) public high school courses for which students |
|
|
may receive credit that satisfies all or part of the requirements |
|
|
under Section 51.302(b). |
|
|
(f) To encourage the effective use of digital content |
|
|
recommended or developed using a grant awarded under Subsection |
|
|
(d), the board shall, using funds appropriated or otherwise |
|
|
available for purposes of the project, support the establishment of |
|
|
a professional development program for individuals who teach one or |
|
|
more American history and civics courses, including a dual credit |
|
|
or dual enrollment course, at a public high school or institution of |
|
|
higher education. The professional development program may include |
|
|
an annual statewide conference. |
|
|
(g) The board shall include in the state repository of open |
|
|
educational resources developed under Section 61.0670 any digital |
|
|
content or professional development materials developed using a |
|
|
grant awarded under Subsection (d). |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |