| TO: | Honorable David Dewhurst , Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Tom Craddick, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB3851 by Morrison (Relating to the admission of high school graduates and undergraduate transfer students to certain institutions of higher education, the computation of a student's high school grade point average for purposes of determining eligibility for admission, and policies to promote the admission of undergraduate transfer students. ), Conference Committee Report |
Under current law, institutions must provide to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board a report describing the composition of the institution's entering class of students. The bill would change the reporting date from July 31 to December 1 and would add requirements for the report to be posted to the institiution's website and include disaggregated data by high school class standing.
The bill would amend Chapter 51, Education Code to require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish a standard method for computing high school grade point average that provides for additional weight to be given for each honors course, advanced placement course, international baccalaureate course, or dual credit course completed by a student. The bill would limit the application of the method to the calculation of grade point for the purpose of determining eligibility for admission to a general academic teaching institution. The calculation would apply to students seeking entry as a first-time freshman beginning with the fall 2009 semester. If a standard method of calculation grade point average were adopted by the commissioner of education as authorized under Chapter 28, Education Code, the bill would provide for the method adopted under Chapter 51 to prevail for the purpose of determining the student's eligibility for university admission under Subchapter U, Chapter 51, Education Code.
Under provisions of the bill, each institution shall adopt a written admission policy to promote the admission of undergraduate transfer students to the institution. The policy must provide for outreach and recruiting efforts directed at junior colleges and other lower-division institutions of higher education and may include incentives to encourage transfer applications and to retain and promote transfer students. Provisions of the bill will be implemented within existing resources.
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. Based on information collected by the Texas Education Agency through focus group meetings in December 2006, it appears that grade point average calculations vary widely from district to district. Given the complexity and variety of methods of calculating high school grade point average, it is assumed that school districts would likely incur some cost in conforming to an adopted methodology. Anticipated costs would include modification of local procedures and software.
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, JSp, MN, RT, GO
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