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.
 
  * * * * *