By: Shapleigh S.B. No. 1572

(In the Senate - Filed March 8, 2007; March 21, 2007, read first time and referred to Subcommittee on Higher Education; April 30, 2007, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute from Committee on Education by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; April 30, 2007, sent to printer.)

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1572 By: Patrick

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to reports of performance data of private or independent institutions of higher education and the publication of that data.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.0903 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.0903. PUBLICATION OF PERFORMANCE DATA OF PRIVATE OR INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. (a) The board shall administer a program to publish performance data provided to the board under this section by private or independent institutions of higher education that admit entering freshman and offer one or more baccalaureate degrees.

(b) Not later than the next January 1 following the completion of an academic year, each private or independent institution of higher education shall provide to the board one or more reports containing data related to:

(1) the qualifications of the entering freshman class for the academic year covered by the report, including:

(A) to the extent available, the average scores of the class on each generally recognized test or assessment used in college and university undergraduate admissions, including the Scholastic Assessment Test and the ACT assessment;

(B) to the extent available, the range of scores of the class from the 25th to the 75th percentile on each generally recognized test or assessment used in college and university undergraduate admissions, including the Scholastic Assessment Test and the ACT assessment;

(C) the overall grade point average of the class for the academic year covered by the report;

(D) the number of students in the class who graduated in the top 10 percent of the student's high school graduating class; and

(E) enrollment percentages by ethnicity; and

(2) student performance and institution efficiency, including:

(A) the retention rate of full-time students after the completion of one academic year at the institution;

(B) the percentage of full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students who earn a baccalaureate degree before the sixth anniversary of the date of the student's first enrollment at the institution;

(C) if the institution has a tenure system, the percentage of faculty members who are tenured or tenure-track faculty;

(D) the average number of students in an undergraduate class;

(E) the student-to-faculty ratio for undergraduate students;

(F) the percentage of students receiving financial aid;

(G) the average cost of tuition and fees for an undergraduate student who, as determined by the board, is enrolled full-time;

(H) the average cost of on-campus room and board for an academic year, excluding summer sessions;

(I) the number of disciplines in which master's degrees are offered, if any;

(J) the number of disciplines in which doctoral degrees are offered, if any;

(K) a description of any departments, schools, or certificate or degree programs of the institution that have a statewide or national reputation for excellence; and

(L) statistics regarding job placement rates for students awarded certificates or degrees by the institution.

(c) Each year the board shall publish and post in a grid format on the board's Internet site the names of the private or independent institutions of higher education, the performance data required by Subsection (b) for the most recent academic year for which the data is available, and any other information considered appropriate by the board.

(d) A private or independent institution of higher education is not required to report to the board the data required by Subsection (b) if the data is available to the board from another source.

SECTION 2. (a) Each private or independent institution of higher education shall provide the performance data as required by Section 61.0903, Education Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the data for the 2008-2009 academic year.

(b) Not later than March 1, 2010, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall publish and post on the board's Internet site the performance data provided by the private or independent institutions of higher education in this state as required by Section 61.0903, Education Code, as added by this Act.

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, 2007.

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