BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 333
79R1817 KSD-D By: West, Royce, et al.
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, the top ten percent of each Texas high school graduating class receives automatic admission to a state public college or university. Those high school graduates, however, are not required to take the recommended high school curriculum, which would better prepare them for success in college.
As proposed, S.B. 333 requires high school students to take, at a minimum, the recommended high school curriculum to be eligible for automatic admission to a public college or university.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 1 (Section 51.807, Education Code) and to the commissioner of education in SECTION 3 (Section 28.026, Education Code) of this bill.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Sections 51.803 and 51.807, Education Code, as follows:
Sec. 51.803. AUTOMATIC ADMISSION: ALL INSTITUTIONS. (a) Adds to the provisions for students in the top 10 percent of their high school to qualify for automatic admittance to general academic teaching institutions the requirement that the applicant complete the curriculum requirements established under Section 28.025 (High School Diploma and Certificate; Academic Achievement Record) for the recommended or advanced high school program, or an equivalent curriculum at a high school to which that section does not apply. Deletes existing text requiring an applicant, to qualify for admission under this section, to submit an application before the expiration of any application filing deadline established by the institution. Makes conforming changes.
(b) Requires an applicant, to qualify for admission under this section, to submit an application before the expiration of any application filing deadline established by the institution.
(c) Redesignated from existing Subsection (b).
(d) Provides that Subsection (a)(2) applies beginning with admissions for the 2008-2009 academic year. Provides that Subsection (a)(2) does not apply to an applicant who graduated from a public high school that does not offer the curriculum established under Section 28.025, for the recommended or advanced high school program.
(e) Provides that an applicant who does not satisfy the curriculum requirements of Subsection (a)(2) is considered to have satisfied those requirements if the high school from which the student graduated indicates on the student's transcript that the student completed the portion of the curriculum that was available to the student but was unable to complete the curriculum solely because courses necessary to complete the curriculum were unavailable to the student at the appropriate times in the student's high school career as a result of course scheduling, lack of enrollment capacity, or another cause not within the student's control.
Sec. 51.807. RULEMAKING. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text.
(b) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, after consulting with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), to establish by rule standards for determining certain issues regarding private high schools and students.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 28.025(g), Education Code, to require a school district to take certain steps if a student, other than a student permitted to take courses under the minimum high school program as provided by Subsection (b), is unable to complete the recommended or advanced high school program for certain reasons beyond the student's control. Makes a nonsubstantive change.
SECTION 3. Amends Section 28.026, Education Code, as follows:
Sec. 28.026. NOTICE OF AUTOMATIC COLLEGE ADMISSION. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text and amends it to require the school district, to assist in the dissemination of information regarding the substance of Section 51.803, to provide each district student, at the time the student first registers for one or more classes required for high school graduation, with a written notification of the substance of Section 51.803. Makes conforming changes.
(b) Requires the commissioner of education (commissioner) to adopt forms to use in providing notice under Subsections (a)(2) and (4). Requires a school district, in providing notice under Subsection (a)(2) or (4), to use the appropriate form adopted by the commissioner.
(c) Requires the commissioner to adopt procedures to ensure that, as soon as practicable after this subsection becomes law, each school district provides written notification of the substance of Section 51.803, as amended by the 79th Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, to each district student who, for the 2005-2006 school year, registers for the first time for one or more courses required for high school graduation. Authorizes the commissioner to adopt rules under this subsection in the manner provided by law for emergency rules. Requires each district to comply with the procedures adopted by the commissioner under this subsection. Provides that this subsection expires September 1, 2006.
SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2005.