1-1     By:  West, Barrientos, Bivins                         S.B. No. 1419

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1997; March 24, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 7, 1997,

 1-4     reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 10, Nays 0; April 7, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1419                    By:  West

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to certain admissions and reporting procedures for certain

1-10     institutions of higher education.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding

1-13     Subchapter S to read as follows:

1-14                  SUBCHAPTER S.  UNIFORM ADMISSIONS POLICY

1-15           Sec. 51.801.  DEFINITIONS.  In this subchapter, "general

1-16     academic teaching institution" and "medical and dental unit" have

1-17     the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.

1-18           Sec. 51.802.  ADMISSIONS POLICY.  A general academic teaching

1-19     institution shall admit first-time freshman students for each

1-20     semester under the provisions of this subchapter.

1-21           Sec. 51.803.  ADMISSIONS CATEGORIES.  (a)  Except as

1-22     otherwise provided by this section, each general academic teaching

1-23     institution shall admit an applicant for admission to the

1-24     institution as an undergraduate student only under one of the

1-25     categories for admission described by this section.

1-26           (b)  Up to 50 percent of all offers made by an institution

1-27     for admission to the institution may be made to applicants selected

1-28     under an admissions policy that takes into consideration the

1-29     applicant's academic class standing in the applicant's high school

1-30     graduating class, the applicant's standardized test scores, and

1-31     other indices traditionally used by institutions in admitting

1-32     applicants.

1-33           (c)(1)  An applicant is automatically eligible for admission

1-34     to an institution under Subsection (b) if the applicant graduated

1-35     from a public or private high school in this state accredited by a

1-36     generally recognized accrediting organization with a grade point

1-37     average in the top 10 percent of the high school's graduating class

1-38     if the applicant also:

1-39                       (A)  graduated from high school in the same year

1-40     the application was filed or expects to graduate from high school

1-41     within one year after the application is filed;

1-42                       (B)  submitted the application before the

1-43     expiration of application filing deadlines published by the

1-44     institution; and

1-45                       (C)  completed high school credit requirements

1-46     published by the institution.

1-47                 (2)  An institution may offer admission to a student

1-48     described in this subsection in either the fall or spring semester

1-49     or summer session of the institution.  An institution is not

1-50     required to make offers of admission to students described in this

1-51     subsection in an amount exceeding 50 percent of the offers of

1-52     admission made by the institution as prescribed in Subsection (b).

1-53           (d)  At least 40 percent of all offers made by an institution

1-54     for admission to the institution shall be made to applicants

1-55     selected under an admissions policy that, in addition to the

1-56     applicant's academic class standing, takes into consideration the

1-57     following economic or educational factors:

1-58                 (1)  the socioeconomic background of the applicant,

1-59     including the percentage by which the applicant's family is below a

1-60     generally recognized measure of poverty;

1-61                 (2)  whether the applicant's parents have received

1-62     baccalaureate degrees;

1-63                 (3)  whether the applicant is bilingual;

1-64                 (4)  whether the high school the applicant attended was

 2-1     a low-performing campus as determined by Section 39.131(b);

 2-2                 (5)  whether the applicant has demonstrated

 2-3     responsibility in the applicant's work in school, within the

 2-4     applicant's family, or within the applicant's community, including

 2-5     whether the applicant has been employed while in high school or

 2-6     postsecondary school or has performed substantial child-care duties

 2-7     or has helped to raise children while in high school or

 2-8     postsecondary school;

 2-9                 (6)  whether the applicant is a resident of a

2-10     geographic region of the state in which recognized socioeconomic

2-11     indicators are lower than the average for those indicators in other

2-12     regions of the state;

2-13                 (7)  whether the applicant is a resident of an urban

2-14     area or a rural area for which recognized socioeconomic indicators

2-15     are lower than the average for those indicators in similar areas;

2-16                 (8)  the applicant's performance on standardized tests

2-17     in comparison with that of other students from a similar

2-18     socioeconomic background; and

2-19                 (9)  other factors determined by the institution to be

2-20     satisfactory indicators of the probability of success at the

2-21     institution.

2-22           (e)  Up to 10 percent of all offers made by an institution

2-23     for admission to the institution may be made to applicants selected

2-24     under an admissions policy that takes into consideration the

2-25     institution's desire to admit applicants who show a potential to

2-26     succeed, who will contribute to the academic community at the

2-27     institution, or who the institution determines can help the

2-28     institution further its mission or help the state meet the

2-29     challenges it faces in the future.  In addition to other methods of

2-30     selection, the institution may utilize personal interviews in

2-31     determining which applicants will be offered admission under this

2-32     subsection.

2-33           (f)  Each general academic teaching institution shall publish

2-34     in its general catalog and have available for the public a copy of

2-35     its admissions policy adopted under this subchapter.

2-36           (g)  This section does not apply to an institution that:

2-37                 (1)  accepts as many students as apply;

2-38                 (2)  requires only high school graduation or passage of

2-39     the General Educational Development examination for admission; or

2-40                 (3)  requires high school graduation or passage of the

2-41     General Educational Development examination and:

2-42                       (A)  recommends, but does not require, the

2-43     completion of certain high school credits;

2-44                       (B)  automatically admits students in the highest

2-45     quartile of a high school graduating class regardless of a

2-46     student's score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test or the American

2-47     College Test; or

2-48                       (C)  requires a minimum score on the Scholastic

2-49     Aptitude Test or the American College Test that is the same for all

2-50     students regardless of a student's high school class rank.

2-51           Sec. 51.804.  REPORT TO COORDINATING BOARD.  Each general

2-52     academic teaching institution, except those institutions exempted

2-53     under Section 51.803(g), shall provide an annual report to the

2-54     coordinating board describing the composition of a freshman class

2-55     admitted under this subchapter.  The coordinating board shall

2-56     establish reporting requirements under this section that include,

2-57     in addition to other information considered relevant by the board,

2-58     a demographic breakdown by race, gender, and the economic and

2-59     educational factors listed in Section 51.803(d) of applicants and

2-60     of those offered admission to each institution and of those

2-61     enrolled in each institution.

2-62           Sec. 51.805.  RULEMAKING.  The coordinating board may adopt

2-63     rules relating to admissions policies and procedures under this

2-64     subchapter.

2-65           Sec. 51.806.  ENRICHMENT AND RETENTION PROGRAMS.  (a)  A

2-66     general academic teaching institution shall evaluate each applicant

2-67     to determine if the applicant is likely to benefit from

2-68     participation in an enrichment or retention program.

2-69           (b)  Each institution shall develop enrichment and retention

 3-1     programs for students.  Such programs may include, but are not

 3-2     limited to, course-based programs, individual counseling, peer

 3-3     counseling, tutoring, mentoring, summer preadmission, and self-help

 3-4     programs.

 3-5           Sec. 51.807.  OUTREACH PROGRAMS.  Each general academic

 3-6     teaching institution shall develop programs designed to expand

 3-7     outreach efforts to middle schools and high schools in order to

 3-8     increase the number of high school students who are prepared to

 3-9     pursue higher education.

3-10           Sec. 51.808.  TRANSFER STUDENTS.  Each general academic

3-11     teaching institution shall adopt a written policy for the admission

3-12     of undergraduate transfer students to the institution.

3-13           Sec. 51.809.  GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS.  Each

3-14     general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit

3-15     that offers admission to a graduate or postgraduate program,

3-16     including a graduate or postgraduate professional program, shall

3-17     adopt a written admissions policy for the program describing the

3-18     factors considered by the institution or unit in making offers of

3-19     admission to the program.

3-20           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

3-21     beginning with admissions for the fall term or semester in 1998.

3-22           (b)  The governing board of each general academic teaching

3-23     institution and each medical and dental unit covered by this Act

3-24     shall adopt rules or policies relating to the admission of students

3-25     under Subchapter S, Chapter 51, Education Code, as added by this

3-26     Act, not later than September 1, 1997.

3-27           (c)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall

3-28     adopt reporting rules under Section 51.804, Education Code, as

3-29     added by this Act, not later than January 1, 1998.

3-30           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-31     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-32     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-33     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-34     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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