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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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relating to eliminating automatic admission to certain public |
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institutions of higher education based on high school grade point |
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average. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 28.0252(b), Education Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(b) If the commissioner develops a standard method under |
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this section, a school district shall use the standard method to |
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compute a student's high school grade point average[, and the
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student's grade point average computed in that manner shall be used
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in determining the student's eligibility for automatic college
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admission under Section 51.803]. |
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SECTION 2. Section 33.007(b), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) During the first school year a student is enrolled in a |
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high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment |
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charter school, and again during a student's senior year, a |
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counselor shall provide information about higher education to the |
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student and the student's parent or guardian. The information must |
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include information regarding: |
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(1) the importance of higher education; |
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(2) the advantages of completing the recommended or |
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advanced high school program adopted under Section 28.025(a); |
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(3) the disadvantages of taking courses to prepare for |
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a high school equivalency examination relative to the benefits of |
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taking courses leading to a high school diploma; |
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(4) financial aid eligibility; |
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(5) instruction on how to apply for federal financial |
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aid; |
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(6) the center for financial aid information |
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established under Section 61.0776; |
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[(7) the automatic admission of certain students to
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general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section
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51.803;] and |
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(7) [(8)] the eligibility and academic performance |
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requirements for the TEXAS Grant as provided by Subchapter M, |
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Chapter 56[, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature,
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Regular Session, 1999]. |
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SECTION 3. Section 51.4032, Education Code, as added by |
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Chapter 694, Acts of the 79th Legislature, Regular Session, 2005, |
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is amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 51.4032. ANNUAL REPORT OF PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER |
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EDUCATION. Not later than July 31 of each year and in the form |
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prescribed by the coordinating board, each general academic |
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teaching institution and medical and dental unit as defined in |
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Section 61.003 shall provide to the Texas Higher Education |
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Coordinating Board a report describing the composition of the |
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institution's entering class of students. The report must include |
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a demographic breakdown of the class, including a breakdown by |
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race, ethnicity, and economic status. [A report submitted by a
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general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit as
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defined in Section 61.003 must include separate demographic
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breakdowns of the students admitted under Sections 51.803, 51.804,
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and 51.805.] |
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SECTION 4. The heading to Section 51.805, Education Code, |
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is amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 51.805. UNDERGRADUATE [OTHER] ADMISSIONS. |
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SECTION 5. Sections 51.805(a) and (b), Education Code, are |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) [A graduating student who does not qualify for admission
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under Section 51.803 or 51.804 may apply to any general academic
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teaching institution.
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[(b) The general academic teaching institution, after
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admitting students under Sections 51.803 and 51.804, shall admit
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other applicants for admission as undergraduate students.] It is |
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the intent of the legislature that all institutions of higher |
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education pursue academic excellence by considering students' |
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academic achievements in decisions related to admissions. |
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(b) Because of changing demographic trends, diversity, and |
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population increases in the state, each general academic teaching |
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institution shall also consider all of, any of, or a combination of |
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the following socioeconomic indicators or factors in making |
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first-time freshman admissions decisions: |
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(1) the applicant's academic record; |
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(2) the socioeconomic background of the applicant, |
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including the percentage by which the applicant's family is above |
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or below any recognized measure of poverty, the applicant's |
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household income, and the applicant's parents' level of education; |
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(3) whether the applicant would be the first |
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generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate from an |
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institution of higher education; |
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(4) whether the applicant has bilingual proficiency; |
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(5) the financial status of the applicant's school |
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district; |
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(6) the performance level of the applicant's school as |
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determined by the school accountability criteria used by the Texas |
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Education Agency; |
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(7) the applicant's responsibilities while attending |
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school, including whether the applicant has been employed, whether |
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the applicant has helped to raise children, or other similar |
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factors; |
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(8) the applicant's region of residence; |
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(9) whether the applicant is a resident of a rural or |
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urban area or a resident of a central city or suburban area in the |
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state; |
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(10) the applicant's performance on standardized |
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tests; |
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(11) the applicant's performance on standardized tests |
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in comparison with that of other students from similar |
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socioeconomic backgrounds; |
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(12) whether the applicant attended any school while |
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the school was under a court-ordered desegregation plan; |
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(13) the applicant's involvement in community |
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activities; |
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(14) the applicant's extracurricular activities; |
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(15) the applicant's commitment to a particular field |
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of study; |
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(16) the applicant's personal interview; |
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(17) the applicant's admission to a comparable |
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accredited out-of-state institution; and |
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(18) any other consideration the institution |
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considers necessary to accomplish the institution's stated |
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mission. |
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SECTION 6. Section 51.842(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) A graduate or professional program of a general academic |
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teaching institution or medical or dental unit may consider the |
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following factors in making an admissions or scholarship decision |
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for admissions into or competitive scholarships for the graduate or |
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professional program: |
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(1) an applicant's academic record as a high school |
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student and undergraduate student; |
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(2) the socioeconomic background of the applicant |
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while the applicant attended elementary and secondary school and |
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was an undergraduate student, including any change in that |
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background; |
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(3) whether the applicant would be the first |
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generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate from an |
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undergraduate program or from a graduate or professional program; |
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(4) whether the applicant has multilingual |
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proficiency; |
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(5) the applicant's responsibilities while attending |
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elementary and secondary school and as an undergraduate student, |
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including whether the applicant was employed, whether the applicant |
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helped to raise children, and other similar factors; |
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(6) to achieve geographic diversity, the applicant's |
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region of residence at the time of application and, if the applicant |
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graduated from a public high school in this state within the |
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preceding 20 years, the region in which the applicant's school |
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district is located; |
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(7) the applicant's involvement in community |
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activities; |
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(8) the applicant's demonstrated commitment to a |
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particular field of study; |
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(9) for admission into a professional program, the |
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current comparative availability of members of that profession in |
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the applicant's region of residence while the applicant attended |
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elementary and secondary school; |
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[(10) whether the applicant was automatically
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admitted to a general academic teaching institution as an
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undergraduate student under Section 51.803;] and |
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(10) [(11)] the applicant's personal interview. |
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SECTION 7. Sections 28.026, 51.803, 51.804, and 51.8045, |
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Education Code, are repealed. |
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SECTION 8. The change in law made by this Act applies |
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beginning with admissions to a general academic teaching |
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institution for the 2008-2009 academic year. Admissions for an |
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academic period preceding that academic year are covered by the law |
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in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the |
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prior law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |