By Dutton                                        H.B. No. 509

      75R729 JSA-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to considering high school ratings in undergraduate

 1-3     admissions and scholarship awards at a public institution of higher

 1-4     education.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding

 1-7     Subchapter S to read as follows:

 1-8                          SUBCHAPTER S.  ADMISSIONS

 1-9           Sec. 51.761.  DEFINITIONS.  The definitions provided by

1-10     Section 61.003 apply to this subchapter.

1-11           Sec. 51.762.  CONSIDERATION OF HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMANCE.

1-12     (a)  This section applies to each institution of higher education

1-13     that uses a competitive process to determine who is admitted to the

1-14     institution as an undergraduate or who is admitted to an

1-15     undergraduate program at the  institution.  The institution shall

1-16     include in the criteria for that admissions process reasonable

1-17     consideration of available accountability or performance ratings

1-18     determined by the Texas Education Agency for each high school that

1-19     an applicant attended for which the rating indicates that the high

1-20     school was performing at a low, poor, or other substandard level

1-21     when the student attended it.  The institution shall ensure that

1-22     the admissions information for the student considered by the

1-23     persons responsible for making the admissions decisions indicates

1-24     that the student attended such a high school.  The institution may

 2-1     make an upward adjustment to the student's grade point average or

 2-2     award the student any other appropriate preference to recognize the

 2-3     student's individual high  school performance in the context of the

 2-4     high school's substandard performance.

 2-5           (b)  The Texas Education Agency shall cooperate with the

 2-6     appropriate officials of an institution of higher education to

 2-7     provide the institution with the information the institution

 2-8     requires from the agency to comply with this section.

 2-9           SECTION 2.  Chapter 56, Education Code, is amended by adding

2-10     Subchapter B to read as follows:

2-11             SUBCHAPTER B.  GENERAL RULES GOVERNING SCHOLARSHIPS

2-12           Sec. 56.011.  CONSIDERATION OF HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMANCE.

2-13     (a)  This section applies to each undergraduate scholarship or

2-14     other financial aid granted by an institution of higher education

2-15     on a competitive basis that includes consideration of an

2-16     applicant's high school performance or other prior academic

2-17     performance.  The institution shall include in  the criteria for

2-18     granting the scholarship or other financial aid reasonable

2-19     consideration of available accountability or performance ratings

2-20     determined by the Texas Education Agency for each high school that

2-21     an applicant attended for which the rating indicates that the high

2-22     school was performing at a low, poor, or other substandard level

2-23     when the student attended it.  The institution shall ensure that

2-24     the  information for the applicant considered by the persons

2-25     responsible for making the award indicates that the student

2-26     attended such a high school.  The institution may make an upward

2-27     adjustment to the student's grade point average or award the

 3-1     student any other appropriate preference to recognize the

 3-2     student's individual high school performance in the context of the

 3-3     high school's substandard performance.

 3-4           (b)  The Texas Education Agency shall cooperate with the

 3-5     appropriate officials of an institution of higher education to

 3-6     provide the institution with the information the institution

 3-7     requires from the agency to comply with this section.

 3-8           SECTION 3.  (a)  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 3-9           (b)  Subchapter S, Chapter 51, Education Code, as added by

3-10     this Act, applies only to admissions decisions made on or after the

3-11     effective date of this Act for students whose initial enrollment in

3-12     the institution or program to which the student is admitted occurs

3-13     on or after January 1, 1998.

3-14           (c)  Subchapter B, Chapter 56, Education Code, as added by

3-15     this Act, applies only to a scholarship or other financial aid

3-16     awarded on or after the effective date of this Act.

3-17           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.