BILL ANALYSIS
By: Shapiro
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Currently, although institutions are required to report data regarding higher education to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (coordinating board), there is no law mandating the guidelines for reporting such information. Currently, there is no easily accessible, comprehensive list of information about a higher education institution to help parents and students make informed decisions regarding which institution best fits their needs and to help policymakers make decisions regarding higher education. Transparency is needed for students, parents, and legislators in making decisions regarding higher education in this state.
S.B. 1146 requires general academic teaching institutions, lower-division institutions, and medical and dental units to create an online performance report card that is designed for use by legislators and other interested policymakers. This bill also requires certain institutions to create an online performance report card that is designed for use by prospective students of the institution, their parents, and other interested members of the public. This bill sets forth the requirements for the content of such performance report cards. Finally, this bill requires such information to be prominently located on both the institution's website and the coordinating board's website.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subtitle A, Title 3, Education Code, by adding Chapter 51A, as follows:
CHAPTER 51A. ONLINE PERFORMANCE REPORT CARDS FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Sec. 51A.001. DEFINITIONS. Defines "coordinating board," "general academic teaching institution," "institution of higher education," "medical and dental unit," "public state college," and "public technical institute."
Sec. 51A.002. POWERS AND DUTIES OF COORDINATING BOARD RELATING TO REPORT CARDS; GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORT CARDS. (a) Requires the coordinating board, in consultation with each institution of higher education to which this chapter applies, to develop and maintain online report cards for each of those institutions.
(b) Requires the coordinating board to request from institutions of higher education any information the coordinating board considers necessary to include information or calculate data required to be included in the institution's report card; establish for certain institutions of higher education a list of representative in-state and out-of-state peer institutions and maintain that list on the coordinating board's Internet website; ensure that each of an institution of higher education's online report cards is available to the public on the coordinating board's Internet website in a one-page format and is accessible through a link that appears in a prominent place on the coordinating board's Internet website homepage; uses enhanced, user-friendly search capabilities to ensure that the information required to be included in the report card is easily accessible to the persons for whom the report card is designed; and includes a clearly identifiable link to information on the coordinating board's Internet website regarding the coordinating board's higher education accountability system; and ensure that the information provided in each report card is accurate and up to date.
(c) Provides that the coordinating board may modify, as the coordinating board considers necessary, national data regarding an institution's out-of-state peer institutions to ensure uniformity in the comparison of that data regarding the institution for which the report card is created and the institution's in-state peer institutions in a report card under this chapter.
Sec. 51A.003. DUTIES OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION RELATING TO REPORT CARDS. Requires each institution of higher education, to which this chapter applies, to submit to the coordinating board certain information or calculate data required to be included in the institution's report cards; and ensure that the institution's Internet website homepage includes, in a prominent place, an accessible link to the institution's online report cards maintained on the coordinating board's Internet website.
[Reserves Sections 51A.004-51A.050 for expansion.]
SUBCHAPTER B. ONLINE PERFORMANCE REPORT CARDS FOR GENERAL ACADEMIC TEACHING INSTITUTIONS
Sec. 51A.051. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. Provides that this subchapter applies only to general academic teachings institutions, other than public state colleges.
Sec. 51A.052 REPORT CARD FOR LEGISLATORS AND OTHER POLICY MAKERS. (a) Requires the coordinating board to maintain for each institution to which this subchapter applies an online report card that is designed for use by legislators and other interested policy makers.
(b) Requires the report card required by this section to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under the coordinating board's higher education accountability system and the institution's in-state and out-of-state peer institutions.
(c) Requires, for purposes of this section, information required to be included in the report card regarding the institution's in-state and out-of-state peer institutions to be listed in the form of the average of that information for those institutions unless otherwise prescribed by coordinating board rule.
(d) Requires the report card to include certain information relating to the institution for the most recent state fiscal year, and to compare that information by percentage to the same information for the state fiscal year preceding the most recent state fiscal year and the state fiscal year preceding the most recent state fiscal year by five years.
Sec. 51A.053. REPORT CARD FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. (a) Requires the coordinating to maintain for each institution to which this subchapter applies an online performance report card that is designed for use by prospective students of the institution, their parents, and other interested members of the public.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under the coordinating board's higher education accountability system and the institution's in-state peer institutions.
(c) Requires the report card to include certain information relating to the most recent state fiscal year.
[Reserves Sections 51A.054-51A.100 for expansion.]
SUBCHAPTER C. PERFORMANCE REPORT CARDS FOR LOWER-DIVISION INSTITUTIONS
Sec. 51A.101. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. Provides that this subchapter applies only to public junior colleges, public technical institutes, and public state colleges.
Sec. 51A.102. REPORT CARD FOR LEGISLATORS AND OTHER POLICY
MAKERS. (a) Requires the coordinating board to maintain for each institution to which this subchapter applies an online performance report card for the institution designed for use by legislators and other interested policy makers.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under the coordinating board's higher education accountability system and the institution's in-state peer institutions.
(c) Requires, for purposes of this section, information required to be included in the report card regarding the institution's in-state peer institutions, for purposes of this section, to be listed in the form of the average of that information for those institutions unless otherwise prescribed by coordinating board rule.
(d) Requires the report card to include certain information relating to the institution for the most recent state fiscal year, and to compare that information by percentage to the same information for the state fiscal year preceding the most recent state fiscal year and the state fiscal year preceding the most recent state fiscal year by five years.
Sec. 51A.103. REPORT CARD FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. (a) Requires the coordinating board to maintain for each institution to which this subchapter applies an online performance report card that is designed for use by prospective students of the institution, their parents, and other interested members of the public.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under the coordinating board's higher education accountability system and the institution's in-state peer institutions.
(c) Requires, for purposes of this section, information required to be included in the report card regarding the institution's in-state peer institutions to be listed in the form of the average of that information for those institutions unless otherwise prescribed by coordinating board rule.
(d) Requires the report card to include certain information relating to the most recent state fiscal year.
[Reserves Sections 51A.104-51A.150 for expansion.]
SUBCHAPTER D. ONLINE PERFORMANCE REPORT CARDS FOR MEDICAL AND DENTAL UNITS
Sec. 51A.151. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. Provides that this subchapter applies only to medical and dental units.
Sec. 51A.152. REPORT CARD FOR LEGISLATORS AND OTHER POLICY MAKERS. (a)
Requires the coordinating board to maintain for each institution to which this
subchapter applies an online performance report card designed for use by
legislators and other interested policy makers.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under the coordinating board's higher education accountability system and the institution's in-state and out-of-state peer institutions.
(c) Requires, for purposes of this section, information required to be included in the report card regarding the institution's in-state or out-of-state peer institutions to be listed in the form of the average of that information for those institutions unless otherwise prescribed by coordinating board rule.
(d) Requires the report card to include certain information relating to the institution for the most recent state fiscal year, and to compare that information by percentage to the same information for the state fiscal year preceding the most recent state fiscal year and the state fiscal year preceding the most recent state fiscal year by five years.
Sec. 51A.153. REPORT CARD FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. (a) Requires the coordinating board to maintain for each institution to which this subchapter applies an online performance report card that is designed for use by prospective students of the institution, their parents, and other interested members of the public.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under the coordinating board's higher education accountability system and the institution's in-state and out-of-state peer institutions.
(c) Requires, for purposes of this section, information required to be included in the report card regarding the institution's in-state peer institutions to be listed in the form of the average of that information for those institutions unless otherwise prescribed by coordinating board rules.
(d) Requires the report card to include certain information relating to the most recent state fiscal year.
SECTION 2. Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create the online performance report cards required by Chapter 51A, Education Code, as added by this Act, and provide the report cards on the board's Internet website not later than February 1, 2008.
SECTION 3. Effective date.
EFFECTIVE DATE
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, 2007.