BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1561
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Developmental education has traditionally been administered at community college, technical college, or four-year institution levels without taking into account the best practices to most efficiently and effectively help students. The current system is not succeeding at helping students in the areas in which they need help.
As proposed, S.B. 1561 requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to develop a statewide plan that will focus on community college delivery of developmental education and utilize technology to individualize plans for each student and to reach a greater number of students. The bill requires THECB to study and develop best practices for successful programs to effectively educate students. The bill requires the plan to be updated and modified periodically to account for updated educator training and improving programs.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding Section 61.07611, as follows:
Sec. 61.07611. DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION PLAN; REPORT. (a) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), to serve students who require developmental education in an effective and cost-effective manner, to develop a statewide plan for developmental education to be provided under Section 51.3062 (Success Initiative) that assigns primary responsibility for developmental education to public junior colleges and provides for using technology, to the greatest extent practicable consistent with best practices, to provide developmental education to students.
(b) Requires THECB, in developing the developmental education plan, to research issues related to developmental education; study and develop best practices for successful developmental education programs, including through use of pilot programs; and assess various methods of providing developmental education to students to determine which methods, if any, should be implemented on a statewide basis.
(c) Requires that developmental education under the plan include technological delivery of developmental education courses that allows students to complete course work on any schedule; diagnostic assessments to determine a student's specific educational needs to allow for appropriate developmental instruction; modular developmental education course materials; employment of tutors and instructional aides to supplement developmental education course instruction as needed for particular students; an internal monitoring mechanism to measure time spent by a student on a particular assignment or on a module of course materials and identify a student's area of academic difficulty; periodic updates of developmental education course materials; and assessments after completion of a developmental education course to determine a student's readiness to enroll in freshman-level academic courses.
(d) Requires that the developmental education plan provide for ongoing training for developmental education program faculty members, tutors, and instructional aides at the institutions or other locations where those persons provide instruction; and ongoing research and improvement of appropriate developmental education programs, including participation by a group of institution of higher education (IHE) faculty members selected by THECB to monitor results of programs, identify successful and unsuccessful program components, and identify possible solutions to program problems.
(e) Requires THECB, not later than December 1, 2010, to submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and the presiding officer of each legislative standing committee with primary jurisdiction over higher education a report concerning the initial development of the developmental education plan under this section, including any recommendations for redesign or reassignment among IHEs of existing programs or implementation of new programs and, if appropriate, recommendations for legislation. Provides that this subsection expires January 1, 2011.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.