By Bivins S.B. No. 385
Substitute the following for S.B. No. 385:
By Oliveira C.S.S.B. No. 385
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the curriculum requirements for high school graduation
1-3 and for admission to general academic teaching institutions.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 28.025, Education Code, is amended to read
1-6 as follows:
1-7 Sec. 28.025. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND CERTIFICATE; ACADEMIC
1-8 ACHIEVEMENT RECORD. (a) The State Board of Education by rule shall
1-9 determine curriculum requirements for the minimum, recommended, and
1-10 advanced high school programs that are consistent with the required
1-11 curriculum under Section 28.002.
1-12 (b) A student may graduate and receive a diploma only if:
1-13 (1) the student successfully completes the curriculum
1-14 requirements identified by the State Board of Education for the
1-15 recommended or advanced high school program [board] and complies
1-16 with Section 39.025(a); [or]
1-17 (2) the student, the student's parent or other person
1-18 standing in parental relation to the student, and a school
1-19 counselor or school administrator have agreed that the student
1-20 should not complete the recommended or advanced high school program
1-21 and the student successfully completes the curriculum requirements
1-22 identified by the board for the minimum high school program and
1-23 complies with Section 39.025(a); or
1-24 (3) the student successfully completes an
2-1 individualized education program developed under Section 29.005.
2-2 (c) [(b)] A school district may issue a certificate of
2-3 coursework completion to a student who successfully completes the
2-4 curriculum requirements identified by the State Board of Education
2-5 under Subsection (a) but who fails to comply with Section 39.025
2-6 [perform satisfactorily on the assessment instruments specified by
2-7 Subsection (a)]. A school district may allow a student who
2-8 receives a certificate to participate in a graduation ceremony with
2-9 students receiving high school diplomas.
2-10 (d) [(c)] Each school district shall report the academic
2-11 achievement record of students who have completed a minimum,
2-12 recommended, or advanced high school program on transcript forms
2-13 adopted by the State Board of Education. The transcript forms
2-14 adopted by the board must be designed to clearly differentiate
2-15 between each of the high school programs and identify whether a
2-16 student received a diploma or a certificate of coursework
2-17 completion.
2-18 (e) In this section, "parent" includes a legal guardian or
2-19 other person standing in parental relation to a student.
2-20 (f) Each school district must give notice to the parent of
2-21 each student enrolling in the ninth grade that completion of the
2-22 recommended or advanced high school program is required for
2-23 automatic admission to a general academic teaching institution
2-24 under Section 51.803. This subsection expires July 31, 2003.
2-25 SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
2-26 amended by adding Section 28.0251 to read as follows:
2-27 Sec. 28.0251. NOTICE TO PARENTS CONCERNING HIGH SCHOOL
3-1 GRADUATION PROGRAMS. (a) Before course registration, each school
3-2 district shall provide to the parent of each student enrolling in
3-3 ninth grade the following information:
3-4 (1) the recommended or advanced high school program
3-5 established under Section 28.025(a):
3-6 (A) is preferred to the minimum high school
3-7 program for high school graduation; and
3-8 (B) must be completed for the student to be
3-9 eligible:
3-10 (i) under Section 51.803 for automatic
3-11 admission to a general academic teaching institution as a student
3-12 graduating with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of the
3-13 student's high school graduating class;
3-14 (ii) under Section 51.805(a) to enter a
3-15 general academic teaching institution directly following high
3-16 school graduation; and
3-17 (iii) to receive a Toward Excellence,
3-18 Access, and Success (TEXAS) grant under Subchapter M, Chapter 56,
3-19 Education Code, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th
3-20 Legislature, Regular Session, 1999.
3-21 (2) the requirement under Section 51.805(a) that a
3-22 student who is not automatically admitted to a general academic
3-23 teaching institution under Section 51.803 or 51.804 and who has not
3-24 satisfactorily completed the recommended or advanced high school
3-25 program or an equivalent curriculum must earn at an institution of
3-26 higher education other than a general academic teaching institution
3-27 at least 24 semester credit hours in the core curriculum adopted
4-1 under Section 61.822 before the student may be considered for
4-2 admission into a general academic teaching institution;
4-3 (3) the course requirements established under Section
4-4 28.025(a) for the recommended and advanced high school programs;
4-5 (4) the procedure established under Section
4-6 28.025(b)(2) for enrolling in the minimum high school program
4-7 instead of the recommended or advanced high school program.
4-8 (b) A school district may provide the information required
4-9 under Subsection (a) as part of regular correspondence by the
4-10 district to parents concerning student registration or orientation.
4-11 (c) In this section:
4-12 (1) "General academic teaching institution" has the
4-13 meaning assigned by Section 61.003.
4-14 (2) "Parent" includes a legal guardian or other person
4-15 standing in parental relation to a student.
4-16 SECTION 3. Section 51.803, Education Code, is amended to read
4-17 as follows:
4-18 Sec. 51.803. AUTOMATIC ADMISSION: ALL INSTITUTIONS. (a)
4-19 Each general academic teaching institution shall admit an applicant
4-20 for admission to the institution as an undergraduate student if the
4-21 applicant graduated with a grade point average in the top 10
4-22 percent of the student's high school graduating class in one of the
4-23 two school years preceding the academic year for which the
4-24 applicant is applying for admission and the applicant:
4-25 (1) graduated from a public or private high school in
4-26 this state accredited by a generally recognized accrediting
4-27 organization or from a high school operated by the United States
5-1 Department of Defense;
5-2 (2) completed the recommended or advanced high school
5-3 curriculum established under Section 28.025 or an equivalent
5-4 curriculum at a high school to which that section does not apply;
5-5 and
5-6 (3)[. To qualify for admission under this section, an
5-7 applicant must submit an application before the expiration of any
5-8 application filing deadline established by the institution and,] if
5-9 the applicant graduated from a high school operated by the United
5-10 States Department of Defense, is [must be] a Texas resident under
5-11 Section 54.052 or is [be] entitled to pay tuition fees at the rate
5-12 provided for Texas residents under Section 54.058(d) for the term
5-13 or semester to which admitted.
5-14 (b) To qualify for admission under this section, an
5-15 applicant must submit an application before the expiration of any
5-16 application filing deadline established by the institution.
5-17 (c) After admitting an applicant under this section, the
5-18 institution shall review the applicant's record and any other
5-19 factor the institution considers appropriate to determine whether
5-20 the applicant may require additional preparation for college-level
5-21 work or would benefit from inclusion in a retention program. The
5-22 institution may require a student so identified to enroll during
5-23 the summer immediately after the student is admitted under this
5-24 section to participate in appropriate enrichment courses and
5-25 orientation programs. This section does not prohibit a student who
5-26 is not determined to need additional preparation for college-level
5-27 work from enrolling, if the student chooses, during the summer
6-1 immediately after the student is admitted under this section.
6-2 (d) Subsection (a)(2) does not apply to an applicant who
6-3 graduated from a public high school that did not offer or make
6-4 available the recommended or advanced high school curriculum
6-5 established under Section 28.025. This subsection expires August
6-6 1, 2007.
6-7 SECTION 4. Section 51.805, Education Code, is amended by
6-8 amending Subsection (a) to read as follows:
6-9 (a) A graduating student who does not qualify for admission
6-10 under Section 51.803 or 51.804 may apply to any general academic
6-11 teaching institution in accordance with this subsection. The
6-12 satisfactory completion of the recommended or advanced high school
6-13 program established under Section 28.025 or the satisfactory
6-14 completion of an equivalent high school curriculum is a minimum
6-15 requirement for admission under this section to a general academic
6-16 teaching institution directly following high school graduation. A
6-17 student who has not satisfactorily completed a recommended or an
6-18 advanced high school program or an equivalent curriculum must earn
6-19 at an institution of higher education other than a general academic
6-20 teaching institution at least 24 semester credit hours in the core
6-21 curriculum adopted under Section 61.822 before the student may be
6-22 considered for admission into a general academic teaching
6-23 institution.
6-24 SECTION 5. Section 51.807, Education Code, is amended to
6-25 read as follows:
6-26 Sec. 51.807. RULEMAKING. (a) The Texas Higher Education
6-27 Coordinating Board may adopt rules relating to the operation of
7-1 admissions programs under this subchapter, including rules relating
7-2 to the identification of eligible students and the reporting
7-3 requirements of Section 51.806.
7-4 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board after
7-5 consulting with the Texas Education Agency by rule shall establish
7-6 standards for determining:
7-7 (1) whether a private high school is accredited by a
7-8 generally accepted accrediting organization; and
7-9 (2) whether a person completed a high school
7-10 curriculum that is equivalent to the recommended or advanced high
7-11 school program established under Section 28.025.
7-12 SECTION 6. (a) Section 28.025, Education Code, as amended by
7-13 this Act, takes effect August 1, 2003, and applies to students
7-14 entering the ninth grade in the 2003-2004 school year and
7-15 thereafter.
7-16 (b) Section 28.0251, Education Code, as added by this Act,
7-17 takes effect September 1, 2002, and applies beginning with
7-18 registration for the 2003-2004 school year.
7-19 (c) Sections 51.803 and 51.807, Education Code, as amended
7-20 by this Act, take effect September 1, 2004 and apply beginning with
7-21 admissions for the 2005-2006 academic year.
7-22 (d) Section 51.805(a), Education Code, as amended by this
7-23 Act, takes effect August 1, 2007, and applies to admissions to
7-24 general academic teaching institutions beginning with the
7-25 admissions for the 2007 fall semester, and may not apply to
7-26 students graduating from high school prior to January 1, 2007.
7-27 (e) This Act takes effect on September 1, 2001.