LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session
March 13, 2001
TO: Honorable Irma Rangel, Chair, House Committee on Higher
Education
FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE: HB2109 by Farrar (Relating to exempting certain higher
education students from the TASP test based on the
student's high school grade point average in college
preparatory courses.), As Introduced
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* Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for *
* HB2109, As Introduced: positive impact of $4,850,400 through the *
* biennium ending August 31, 2003. *
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General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Net Impact:
****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) *
* Impact to General Revenue Related *
* Funds *
* 2002 $2,425,200 *
* 2003 2,425,200 *
* 2004 2,425,200 *
* 2005 2,425,200 *
* 2006 2,425,200 *
****************************************************
All Funds, Five-Year Impact:
*****************************************************
* Fiscal Year Probable Savings/(Cost) from *
* General Revenue Fund *
* 0001 *
* 2002 $2,425,200 *
* 2003 2,425,200 *
* 2004 2,425,200 *
* 2005 2,425,200 *
* 2006 2,425,200 *
*****************************************************
Fiscal Analysis
The bill exempts from the Texas Academic Skills Assessment (TASP) test,
high school students who complete the recommended or, advanced high
school curriculum, with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0
scale. Exemption from TASP means some of those students would not be
required to take developmental education.
Methodology
The latest figures available indicate that 73,240 high school students
took the recommended or advanced high school curriculum. Of this amount,
16, 840 (23%) were exempt from the TASP requirements based on SAT, ACT
or TAAS scores, and 56,400 (77%) did not meet the exemption standards.
Approximately 2/3 of those students (37,600) would take a test for TASP
purposes and pass; 18,800 would need at least one semester of
developmental education. It is assumed that approximately half of these
students would still participate in developmental education, because of
institutional skills assessment. Assuming 70% (6,580) of these remaining
students would enroll at a community or technical college, the annual
state cost for one developmental education course per student would be
$240 X 6,580 = $1,579,200. For the remaining 30% enrolling in
universities, the annual state cost would be $300 X 5,640 = $846,000.
Since the bill would exempt all students who completed the recommended or
advanced curriculum with a 3.0 or higher GPA, we can estimate the
exemption of these students would result in annual savings to the state
of $2,425,000, because these students would no longer take the TASP or
enroll in developmental education.
Local Government Impact
Local community college districts would see a corresponding decrease in
developmental education enrollment and locally incurred costs from this
enrollment.
Source Agencies: 781 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
LBB Staff: JK, CT, PF, DB