By: Rangel H.B. No. 3375
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the repeal of the Texas Academic Skills Program and
establishing the Success Initiative.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 51.306, Education Code, is repealed and
replaced with a new Section 51.306 to read as follows:
Section 51.306. Success Initiative. (a) The purpose of
this section is to assess the readiness of entering college
students to enroll in freshman-level academic coursework and to
assist students who are not yet ready by providing the advising and
educational support they need to succeed in college.
(b) In this section:
(1) "Board," "institution of higher education,"
"private or independent institution of higher education," "general
academic teaching institution," "public junior college," "public
technical institute," and "public state college" have the meanings
assigned by Section 61.003 of this code.
(c) Each undergraduate who enters a public institution of
higher education shall be assessed to determine readiness to enroll
in freshman-level academic coursework. An institution may not use
the assessment as a condition of admission into the institution.
(d) The Board shall designate at least one instrument for
institutions to use to assess students. The Board may designate
multiple instruments for institutions to use. Any assessment
instrument approved by the Board must be diagnostic in nature and
designed to provide an assessment of a student's readiness to
perform freshman-level academic college coursework. It is the
intent of the Legislature that the assessment instrument required
in Section 39.023 of this code be designated as an assessment
instrument and shall replace the test referred to as the Texas
Academic Skills Program Test no later than September 1, 2005.
(e) The Board shall prescribe assessment standards that
reflect readiness to enroll in freshman-level academic college
coursework. If the Board approves more than one assessment
instrument, the scores on all instruments shall be correlated.
(f) Each institution of higher education shall establish an
advising program to advise students about coursework and any other
means by which students can develop the skills they need to
successfully complete college-level work.
(g) If a student does not meet the assessment standards, the
institution shall work with the student to develop a plan to assist
the student in becoming college ready. The institution may refer a
student to developmental coursework; however, referral to
coursework is not required. The plan should be designed
individually to provide the best opportunity for a student to
become ready to successfully complete college-level work.
(h) A student may re-take the assessment at any time to
determine readiness to enter college-level coursework.
(i) Institutions shall determine when a student is ready to
take college-level course work. This determination may include
having a student retake the assessment, or it may include other
means of evaluating readiness. The determination should be made
individually based on what best serves the student's needs. A
student who has been determined to meet college-readiness standards
at one institution may not be required to complete additional
developmental education at another institution to which the student
transfers.
(j) The state shall fund approved non-degree-credit
developmental courses; however, a general academic teaching
institution may not receive funding for developmental coursework
taken by a student in excess of 18 semester credit hours, and a
public junior college, public technical institute or public state
college may not receive funding for developmental coursework taken
by a student in excess of 27 semester credit hours. Additionally,
the board may develop formulas to augment institutional funding of
other developmental academic programs and may develop a performance
funding formula by which institutions may receive additional
funding for each student who completes the student success
assessment program and then successfully completes college
coursework. The state may appropriate the funds required to provide
the additional funding from such formulas.
(k) Each institution shall report annually to the Board on
the success of its students and the effectiveness of its Success
Initiative.
(l) The Board shall evaluate the effectiveness of the
Success Initiative.
(m) This section does not apply to:
(1) A student who has achieved a score set by the Board
on the Scholastic Assessment Test or the ACT or
(2) A student who has achieved a score set by the Board
on the exit-level assessment required under Section 39.023 of this
code. This section expires on ________, 2004.
(n) This section does not apply to:
(1) A student located outside this state who enrolls
in a course offered outside this state by an institution of higher
education;
(2) A student who has graduated with an associate's or
baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education, a
private or independent institution of higher education, or an
accredited out-of-state institution of higher education;
(3) A student who is enrolled in a certificate program
of one year or less at a public community college or technical
institute; or
(4) A student who accumulated three or more
college-level semester credit hours prior to the 1989 fall
semester.
SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
shall adopt rules for the administration of this section, as added
by this Act, as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect. For
that purpose, the Board may adopt the initial rules in the manner
provided by law for emergency rules.
SECTION 3. 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.