HBA-CBW, BSM H.B. 286 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 286 By: King, Phil Higher Education 3/18/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the admissions standards applied to unaccredited private school and home school applicants by different institutions of higher education differ from those used with accredited private and public school applicants. For example, at The University of Texas at Austin, applicants from unaccredited private or home schools are required to show proficiency in three Scholastic Aptitude Test-II (SAT) subject areas, provide a copy of GED results, if available, and submit with the application a written statement of education goals. At the University of Houston, if a public school student and an unaccredited private school student both rank in the top quarter of their class and each score an 1100 on the SAT, the public school student is considered for admission while the private school student must score 80 points higher on the SAT to ensure consideration. The number of Texas children in private and home schools is growing rapidly. Texas is home to many well qualified applicants from unaccredited schools, but many universities make additional demands beyond what is expected from the applicants with an accredited private or public school education background. House Bill 286 provides that institutions of higher education must evaluate applicants with nontraditional education backgrounds using the same standards as their traditionally educated counterparts, and maintains that students that have completed a nontraditional secondary education program must be treated in accordance with the same general standards as other applicants for undergraduate admission. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 286 amends the Education Code to provide that an institution of higher education (institution) must treat applicants who have received a nontraditional secondary education fairly and according to the same general standards as applicants who have received a traditional secondary education. The bill prohibits an institution from requiring an applicant who has submitted evidence showing completion of a nontraditional secondary education to obtain or submit evidence that the applicant has obtained credentials equal to a high school degree, or to take an examination or comply with any other application or admission requirement not generally applicable to other applicants for undergraduate admission to the institution. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage.