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78R3497 JRJ-D
By: Smith of Tarrant H.B. No. 838
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to student preparedness for higher education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 51.803, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to
read as follows:
(a) Each general academic teaching institution shall admit
an applicant for admission to the institution as an undergraduate
student if the applicant:
(1) graduated [with a grade point average in the top 10
percent of the student's high school graduating class in one of the
two school years preceding the academic year for which the
applicant is applying for admission and the applicant graduated]
from:
(A) a public or private high school in this state
accredited by a generally recognized accrediting organization; or
(B) [from] a high school operated by the United
States Department of Defense[. To qualify for admission under this
section, an applicant must submit an application before the
expiration of any application filing deadline established by the
institution and], if the applicant is [graduated from a high school
operated by the United States Department of Defense, must be] a
Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is [be] entitled to pay
tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section
54.058(d) for the term or semester to which admitted;
(2) beginning with admissions for the 2008-2009
academic year, completed the curriculum requirements established
under Section 28.025 for the recommended or advanced high school
program or an equivalent curriculum at a high school to which that
section does not apply; and
(3) in one of the two school years preceding the
academic year for which the applicant is applying for admission,
graduated with a grade point average in:
(A) the top 10 percent of the student's high
school graduating class for admissions for an academic year before
the 2008-2009 academic year; or
(B) beginning with admissions for the 2008-2009
academic year, the top 15 percent of those in the student's high
school graduating class who completed the curriculum requirements
established under Section 28.025 for the recommended or advanced
high school program or an equivalent curriculum at a high school to
which that section does not apply.
(a-1) To qualify for admission under this section, an
applicant must submit an application before the expiration of any
application filing deadline established by the institution.
(a-2) Notwithstanding Subsections (a)(2) and (3), a student
who graduates from high school in the 2006-2007 academic year with a
grade point average in the top 10 percent of the student's high
school graduating class is covered by Subsection (a)(3)(A) and is
not covered by Subsection (a)(2) with respect to admission of the
student for the 2008-2009 academic year. This subsection expires
January 1, 2010.
SECTION 2. Section 51.804, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 51.804. ADDITIONAL AUTOMATIC ADMISSIONS: SELECTED
INSTITUTIONS. For each academic year, the governing board of each
general academic teaching institution shall determine whether to
adopt an admissions policy under which an applicant to the
institution as a first-time freshman student, other than an
applicant eligible for admission under Section 51.803, shall be
admitted to the institution if the applicant graduated with a grade
point average in the top 25 percent of the applicant's high school
graduating class and the applicant:
(1) graduated from a public or private high school in
this state accredited by a generally recognized accrediting
organization; and
(2) beginning with admissions for the 2008-2009
academic year, completed the curriculum requirements established
under Section 28.025 for the recommended or advanced high school
program or an equivalent curriculum at a high school to which that
section does not apply [with a grade point average in the top 25
percent of the applicant's high school graduating class].
SECTION 3. Section 51.805, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsections (b-1) and (b-2) to
read as follows:
(b) Subject to Subsection (b-1), a [The] general academic
teaching institution, after admitting students under Sections
51.803 and 51.804, shall admit other applicants for admission as
undergraduate students.
(b-1) Beginning with admissions for the 2008-2009 academic
year, a general academic teaching institution may admit a student
under this section only if the student has completed:
(1) the curriculum requirements established under
Section 28.025 for the recommended or advanced high school program
or an equivalent curriculum at a high school to which that section
does not apply; or
(2) at least 24 semester credit hours in the core
curriculum established under Section 61.822.
(b-2) It is the intent of the legislature that all
institutions of higher education pursue academic excellence by
considering students' academic achievements in decisions related
to admissions. Because of changing demographic trends, diversity,
and population increases in the state, each general academic
teaching institution shall also consider all of, any of, or a
combination of the following socioeconomic indicators or factors in
making first-time freshman admissions decisions:
(1) the applicant's academic record;
(2) the socioeconomic background of the applicant,
including the percentage by which the applicant's family is above
or below any recognized measure of poverty, the applicant's
household income, and the applicant's parents' level of education;
(3) whether the applicant would be the first
generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate from an
institution of higher education;
(4) whether the applicant has bilingual proficiency;
(5) the financial status of the applicant's school
district;
(6) the performance level of the applicant's school as
determined by the school accountability criteria used by the Texas
Education Agency;
(7) the applicant's responsibilities while attending
school, including whether the applicant has been employed, whether
the applicant has helped to raise children, or other similar
factors;
(8) the applicant's region of residence;
(9) whether the applicant is a resident of a rural or
urban area or a resident of a central city or suburban area in the
state;
(10) the applicant's performance on standardized
tests;
(11) the applicant's performance on standardized tests
in comparison with that of other students from similar
socioeconomic backgrounds;
(12) whether the applicant attended any school while
the school was under a court-ordered desegregation plan;
(13) the applicant's involvement in community
activities;
(14) the applicant's extracurricular activities;
(15) the applicant's commitment to a particular field
of study;
(16) the applicant's personal interview;
(17) the applicant's admission to a comparable
accredited out-of-state institution; and
(18) any other consideration the institution
considers necessary to accomplish the institution's stated
mission.
SECTION 4. Section 51.807, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 51.807. RULEMAKING. (a) The Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board may adopt rules relating to the operation of
admissions programs under this subchapter, including rules
relating to the identification of eligible students and the
reporting requirements of Section 51.806.
(b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board after
consulting with the Texas Education Agency by rule shall establish
standards for determining for purposes of this subchapter:
(1) whether a private high school is accredited by a
generally accepted accrediting organization; and
(2) whether a person completed a high school
curriculum that is equivalent to the curriculum established under
Section 28.025 for the recommended or advanced high school program.
SECTION 5. Subchapter C, Chapter 7, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 7.060 to read as follows:
Sec. 7.060. RESEARCH ON HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
SKILLS ACQUISITION AND PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS. From money
appropriated for the purpose and in addition to grants awarded
under Section 7.058, the commissioner shall award to one or more
institutions that have demonstrated an ability to conduct research
on effective instruction techniques that improve the performance of
high school students in mathematics and science a grant to be used
to:
(1) develop and identify research on mathematics and
science skills acquisition and student learning in mathematics and
science;
(2) monitor the effectiveness of professional
development institutes under Section 21.457 based on performance in
mathematics and science by the students of teachers who have
attended an institute;
(3) examine the effect of the professional development
institutes on the classroom performance of teachers who have
attended an institute;
(4) identify common practices used at high-performing
school campuses that lead to improved student performance in high
school mathematics and science; and
(5) develop research on cognitive development in high
school students concerning mathematics and science skills
development.
SECTION 6. The heading to Section 21.455, Education Code,
is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 21.455. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES IN
MATHEMATICS FOR MIDDLE GRADES.
SECTION 7. Subchapter J, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 21.456 and 21.457 to read as follows:
Sec. 21.456. HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TRAINING.
(a) In addition to the requirements for mathematics training
established under Section 21.454, the commissioner shall develop
training materials and other teacher training resources for a
school district to use in assisting high school mathematics and
science teachers in developing:
(1) expertise in high school Algebra I, geometry,
biology, chemistry, and physics curricula; and
(2) comprehension of the instruction techniques that
have been proven effective in improving student high school Algebra
I, geometry, biology, chemistry, and physics learning.
(b) The commissioner shall develop materials and resources
under this section in consultation with appropriate faculty members
at institutions of higher education.
(c) The commissioner shall make the training materials and
other teacher training resources required under Subsection (a)
available to high school mathematics and science teachers through a
variety of mechanisms, including distance learning, mentoring
programs, small group inquiries, computer-assisted training, and
mechanisms based on trainer-of-trainer models.
(d) The commissioner shall use money appropriated for the
purpose to administer this section.
Sec. 21.457. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES IN HIGH
SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE. (a) The commissioner shall
develop and make available professional development institutes for
teachers who provide instruction in mathematics and science to
students at the high school level.
(b) A professional development institute developed under
this section must address:
(1) the underlying mathematics and science skills
required to be taught in high school Algebra I, geometry, biology,
chemistry, and physics, as applicable; and
(2) mathematics and science instruction techniques
that have been proven effective.
(c) The commissioner shall develop professional development
institutes under this section in consultation with mathematics and
science faculty members at institutions of higher education.
(d) The commissioner shall adopt criteria for selection of
teachers authorized to attend a professional development institute
developed under this section.
(e) From money appropriated for the purpose, the
commissioner shall pay a stipend to each teacher who completes a
professional development institute developed under this section.
The commissioner shall determine the amount of the stipend paid
under this subsection.
SECTION 8. Section 28.026, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 28.026. NOTICE OF AUTOMATIC COLLEGE ADMISSION. The
board of trustees of a school district shall require each high
school in the district to post appropriate signs in each
counselor's office, in each principal's office, and in each
administrative building indicating the substance of Section 51.803
regarding automatic college admission. To assist in the
dissemination of this information, the school district shall:
(1) require that each high school counselor and class
advisor be provided a detailed explanation of the substance of
Section 51.803;
(2) require that each high school counselor and
[senior] class advisor explain to [eligible] students the substance
of Section 51.803; and
(3) provide each eligible senior student under Section
51.803, at the commencement of a class's senior year, with a written
notification of the student's eligibility with a detailed
explanation of the substance of Section 51.803.
SECTION 9. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.