HBA-KDB C.S.H.B. 1946 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 1946
By: Garcia
Higher Education
4/4/2001
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

There is concern that colleges and universities place too much emphasis on
an applicant's standardized test scores in admitting or rejecting an
applicant.  Standardized testing results may be misleading as indicators of
potential college performance.  C.S.H.B. 1946 prohibits certain
institutions of higher education from according the applicant's performance
on a standardized test a weight of more than 20 percent in the overall
decision making process for admitting an applicant or from considering that
performance without considering all other relevant factors. 

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

C.S.H.B. 1946 amends the Education Code to prohibit a general academic
teaching institution  or medical and dental unit that offers admission to a
baccalaureate, graduate, postgraduate, or professional degree program or to
a professional school, including admissions by transfer from another
institution or program, from counting or including an applicant's
performance or score on an admission test in any index or formula for
ranking applicants or for determining whether an applicant is eligible for
admission in a manner in which the applicant's score or performance
accounts for more than 20 percent of the applicant's total score on the
index or formula.  Such higher education institutions are further
prohibited from excluding any applicant from consideration for admission
based solely on the applicant's performance or score on an admission test
or from considering an applicant's performance or score on an admission
test without considering all other relevant factors available from the
application and accompanying materials that relate to the applicant's
academic aptitude, skills, and achievements.  The bill requires the
governing board of each applicable institution to monitor the institution's
compliance with these provisions and to report on that compliance to the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board before December 1 of each
evennumbered year. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001. The Act applies to admissions to any
semester or other academic term that begins on or after January 1, 2001. 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 1946 modifies the original bill by adding a definition of
"admission test."  The substitute extends the applicability of the bill to
a medical and dental unit offering admissions to certain types of programs.
The substitute prohibits the specified institutions of higher education
from considering an applicant's performance or score on an admission test
without considering all other relevant factors available from the
application and accompanying materials that relate to the applicant's
academic aptitude, skills, and  achievements.  The substitute requires the
governing board of each institution to monitor the institution's compliance
with the provisions of the bill and to report on that compliance to the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board before December 1 of each
even-numbered year.  The substitute modifies the effective date.