By Maxey                                        H.B. No. 2725

      75R9052 JSA-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the use of standardized test scores in making

 1-3     admissions determinations and in awarding scholarships and

 1-4     financial aid at public institutions of higher education.

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

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 51.924, Education Code, is amended to

 1-7     read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 51.924.  PROHIBITION ON REQUIRING STANDARDIZED

 1-9     ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS IN ADMISSIONS [USED FOR ADMISSION

1-10     STANDARDS].  An  institution of higher education may not require an

1-11     applicant for admission to the institution or to a degree program,

1-12     school, or college within the institution to report, submit, or

1-13     disclose the applicant's test score or other result from the

1-14     administration of a standardized assessment, achievement, or

1-15     admissions test, including any of the tests commonly known as the

1-16     PSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, or LSAT.  [Each company or

1-17     organization that sponsors a college admissions testing program

1-18     shall annually report to the Central Education Agency  the

1-19     performance in the testing program of students in this state and

1-20     the program's state and national average standard score results.

1-21     The company or organization shall report the performance of

1-22     students by school district on the request of the Central Education

1-23     Agency.  In its determination of the admission of a student, an

1-24     institution of higher education may not use the student's results

 2-1     on an assessment instrument administered by an organization that

 2-2     fails to comply with this section.]

 2-3           SECTION 2.  Subchapter A, Chapter 56, Education Code, is

 2-4     amended by adding Section 56.004 to read as follows:

 2-5           Sec. 56.004.  PROHIBITION ON REQUIRING STANDARDIZED TEST

 2-6     RESULTS IN FINANCIAL AID DETERMINATIONS.  An institution of higher

 2-7     education, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, or any

 2-8     person acting on behalf of an institution of higher education or

 2-9     the coordinating board relating to the award of a scholarship or

2-10     other financial aid to a student or applicant for financial aid may

2-11     not require the student or applicant to report, submit, or disclose

2-12     the student's or applicant's test score or other result from the

2-13     administration of a standardized assessment, achievement, or

2-14     admissions test, including any of the tests commonly known as the

2-15     PSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, or LSAT.

2-16           SECTION 3.  This Act applies beginning with admissions or

2-17     awards of financial aid for the 1998 fall semester.

2-18           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-19     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-20     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-21     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-22     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.