By Barrientos S.B. No. 1356
76R7189 KEL-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to providing certain students with an equal opportunity to
1-3 enroll in or receive a competitive scholarship for a graduate or
1-4 professional degree program.
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 V to read as follows:
1-8 SUBCHAPTER V. ADMISSION AND SCHOLARSHIP
1-9 POLICIES FOR GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS
1-10 Sec. 51.821. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
1-11 (1) "General academic teaching institution" and
1-12 "medical and dental unit" have the meanings assigned by Section
1-13 61.003.
1-14 (2) "Graduate program" means a degree program, as
1-15 defined by Section 61.003, to which a student may be admitted that
1-16 leads to a master's or doctoral degree.
1-17 (3) "Professional program" means a degree program, as
1-18 defined by Section 61.003, to which a student may be admitted that
1-19 leads to a degree required for licensure as an attorney, doctor of
1-20 medicine or osteopathy, dentist, architect, or pharmacist.
1-21 Sec. 51.822. ADMISSION AND SCHOLARSHIP FACTORS FOR GRADUATE
1-22 AND PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS. (a) A graduate or professional program
1-23 of a general academic teaching institution or medical or dental
1-24 unit must consider the following factors in making an admissions or
2-1 scholarship decision for admissions into or competitive
2-2 scholarships for the graduate or professional program:
2-3 (1) an applicant's academic record as a high school
2-4 student and undergraduate student;
2-5 (2) the socioeconomic background of the applicant
2-6 while the applicant attended elementary and secondary school and
2-7 was an undergraduate student, including any change in that
2-8 background;
2-9 (3) whether the applicant would be the first
2-10 generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate from an
2-11 undergraduate program or from a graduate or professional program;
2-12 (4) whether the applicant has bilingual proficiency;
2-13 (5) the applicant's responsibilities while attending
2-14 elementary and secondary school and as an undergraduate student,
2-15 including whether the applicant was employed, whether the applicant
2-16 helped to raise children, and other similar factors;
2-17 (6) the applicant's region of residence at the time of
2-18 application and, if the applicant graduated from a public high
2-19 school in this state within the preceding 20 years, the region in
2-20 which the applicant's school district is located;
2-21 (7) if the applicant graduated from a public high
2-22 school in this state within the preceding 20 years:
2-23 (A) the financial status of the applicant's
2-24 school district at the time the applicant attended the school, and
2-25 the performance level of the school at that time as determined by
2-26 the school accountability criteria used by the Texas Education
2-27 Agency;
3-1 (B) the comparative representation of graduates
3-2 of that high school in the student body of the graduate or
3-3 professional program during the preceding 20 years; and
3-4 (C) whether the applicant attended any school
3-5 while the school or the school district was under a court-ordered
3-6 desegregation plan or under a corrective action plan of the United
3-7 States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights;
3-8 (8) the applicant's involvement in community
3-9 activities;
3-10 (9) the applicant's demonstrated commitment to a
3-11 particular field of study;
3-12 (10) for admission into a professional program, the
3-13 current comparative availability of members of that profession in
3-14 the applicant's region of residence while the applicant attended
3-15 elementary and secondary school; and
3-16 (11) the applicant's personal interview.
3-17 (b) An applicant's performance on a standardized test may be
3-18 used in the admissions or competitive scholarship process only to
3-19 compare the applicant's test score with those of other applicants
3-20 from similar socioeconomic backgrounds. If an applicant's
3-21 performance on a standardized test is used for that purpose, it
3-22 must be considered together with other compensatory criteria and
3-23 may not account for more than 25 percent of the weight assigned to
3-24 factors considered in the admissions or competitive scholarship
3-25 process.
3-26 (c) The applicant's performance on a standardized test may
3-27 not be used in the admissions or competitive scholarship process:
4-1 (1) to initially screen, limit, or stop further
4-2 consideration of the applicant;
4-3 (2) in conjunction with other factors to create an
4-4 index score used to initially screen, limit, or stop further
4-5 consideration of the applicant; or
4-6 (3) in any other way not authorized by this section.
4-7 (d) Not later than one year before the date that
4-8 applications for admissions and competitive scholarships are first
4-9 considered for a graduate or professional program under this
4-10 subchapter, each general academic teaching institution or medical
4-11 and dental unit shall publish in the catalog of the institution or
4-12 unit a description of the factors to be considered by the
4-13 institution or unit in making those admissions and competitive
4-14 scholarship decisions and shall make the information available to
4-15 the public.
4-16 (e) The requirements of Subsection (d) do not apply to
4-17 admissions and competitive scholarships for the 2000 fall semester.
4-18 Each institution or unit covered by Subsection (d) shall make the
4-19 required information available to the public and to applicants to
4-20 its graduate and professional programs not later than December 1,
4-21 1999, for the 2000 fall semester. This subsection expires
4-22 September 1, 2000.
4-23 Sec. 51.823. RULEMAKING. The Texas Higher Education
4-24 Coordinating Board may adopt rules relating to the operation of
4-25 admissions and competitive scholarship processes under this
4-26 subchapter.
4-27 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies
5-1 beginning with admissions and competitive scholarships for the
5-2 2000-2001 academic year.
5-3 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, each
5-4 general academic teaching institution, and each medical and dental
5-5 unit shall adopt rules or policies relating to the admission of
5-6 students and awarding of scholarships under Subchapter V, Chapter
5-7 51, Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 1,
5-8 2000.
5-9 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
5-10 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-11 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-12 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-13 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
5-14 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
5-15 passage, and it is so enacted.