BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1146
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Currently, although institutions are required to report data regarding higher education to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), 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.
As proposed, 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 THECB's website.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION 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. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS REGARDING REPORTS CARDS FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. Requires each institution of higher education that is required to provide an online performance report card under this chapter to ensure that the institution's online report card is available in a certain manner, to ensure that the information provided in the report card is accurate and up-to-date, and to submit the report card to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in a form approved by THECB that enables THECB to make the report card available on its Internet website (website).
Sec. 51A.003. DUTIES OF COORDINATING BOARD RELATING TO REPORT CARDS. Requires THECB, for purposes of this chapter, to establish for each institution of higher education to which this chapter applies a list of representative in-state and out-of-state peer institutions and to maintain on THECB's website the list described by Subdivision (1) and each performance report card submitted to THECB by an institution of higher education.
[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 POLICYMAKERS. (a) Requires each institution to which this subchapter applies to create an online report card that is designed for use by legislators and other interested policymakers.
(b) Requires the report card required by this section to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under THECB'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 THECB 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 each institution to which this subchapter applies 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.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under THECB'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 POLICYMAKERS. (a) Requires each institution to which this subchapter applies to create an online performance report card for the institution designed for use by legislators and other interested policymakers.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under THECB'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 THECB 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 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. (a) Requires each institution to which this subchapter applies 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.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under THECB'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 THECB 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 POLICYMAKERS. (a)
Requires each institution to which this subchapter applies to create an online
performance report card designed for use by legislators and other interested
policymakers.
(b) Requires the report card to identify the institutional grouping to which the institution is assigned under THECB'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 THECB 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.
SECTION 2. Requires an institution of higher education required to create an online performance report card under Chapter 51A, Education Code, as added by this Act, to create the report card and provide the report card on the institution's website not later than September 1, 2008.
SECTION 3. Requires THECB to establish a list of representative in-state and out-of-state peer institutions for each institution required to create an online performance report card and provide that list on THECB's website, as required by Section 51A.003, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 4. Requires THECB to provide on its website the initial performance report cards for institutions of higher education as required by Section 51A.003, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after receiving the initial report cards from those institutions of higher education.
SECTION 5. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.