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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to limitations on the automatic admission of undergraduate |
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students to general academic teaching institutions. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 51.803, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) Subject to Subsection (a-1), each [Each] general |
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academic teaching institution shall admit an applicant for |
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admission to the institution as an undergraduate student if the |
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applicant graduated with a grade point average in the top 10 percent |
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of the student's high school graduating class in one of the two |
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school years preceding the academic year for which the applicant is |
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applying for admission and: |
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(1) the applicant graduated from a public or private |
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high school in this state accredited by a generally recognized |
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accrediting organization or from a high school operated by the |
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United States Department of Defense; |
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(2) the applicant: |
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(A) successfully completed: |
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(i) at a public high school, the curriculum |
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requirements established under Section 28.025 for the recommended |
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or advanced high school program; or |
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(ii) at a high school to which Section |
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28.025 does not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content |
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and rigor to the recommended or advanced high school program; or |
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(B) satisfied ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks |
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on the ACT assessment applicable to the applicant or earned on the |
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SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400 or the |
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equivalent; and |
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(3) if the applicant graduated from a high school |
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operated by the United States Department of Defense, the applicant |
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is a Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is entitled to pay |
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tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section |
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54.058(d) for the term or semester to which admitted. |
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(a-1) Beginning with admissions for the 2010-2011 academic |
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year, a general academic teaching institution is not required to |
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admit under Subsection (a) more than 50 percent of the |
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institution's first-time resident undergraduate students in an |
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academic year. If the number of applicants who qualify for |
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automatic admission to a general academic teaching institution |
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under Subsection (a) exceeds 50 percent of the institution's |
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enrollment capacity designated for first-time resident |
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undergraduate students, the institution may elect to offer |
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admission to those applicants as provided by this subsection and |
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not as otherwise required by Subsection (a). If the institution |
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elects to offer admission under this subsection, the institution |
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shall offer admission to those applicants by percentile rank |
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according to high school graduating class standing based on grade |
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point average, beginning with the top percentile rank, until the |
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applicants qualified under Subsection (a) have been offered |
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admission in the number estimated in good faith by the institution |
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as sufficient to fill 40 percent of the institution's enrollment |
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capacity designated for first-time resident undergraduate |
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students, except that the institution must offer admission to all |
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applicants with the same percentile rank. In addition to those |
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admissions, until applicants qualified under Subsection (a) have |
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been offered admission in the number estimated in good faith by the |
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institution as sufficient to fill 50 percent of the designated |
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enrollment capacity described by this subsection, the institution |
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shall offer to applicants qualified for automatic admission under |
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Subsection (a) admission in the same manner as other applicants for |
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admission as first-time undergraduate students in accordance with |
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Section 51.805, except that the institution may not consider |
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applicants other than those applicants qualified under Subsection |
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(a). After the applicants qualified for automatic admission under |
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Subsection (a) have been offered admission under this subsection in |
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the number estimated in good faith as sufficient to fill 50 percent |
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of the designated enrollment capacity described by this subsection, |
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the institution shall consider any remaining applicants qualified |
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for automatic admission under Subsection (a) in the same manner as |
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other applicants for admission as first-time undergraduate |
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students in accordance with Section 51.805. |
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(a-2) In the manner prescribed by the Texas Education Agency |
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and not later than April 15, a general academic teaching |
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institution shall provide to each school district, for |
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dissemination of the information to high school junior-level |
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students and their parents, notice of which percentile ranks of |
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high school senior-level students are anticipated by the |
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institution to be automatically offered admission under Subsection |
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(a-1) during the next school year if: |
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(1) the number of applicants to the institution during |
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the current school year who qualify for automatic admission to the |
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institution under Subsection (a) exceeds 50 percent of the |
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institution's enrollment capacity designated for first-time |
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resident undergraduate students; and |
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(2) the institution plans to offer admission under |
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Subsection (a-1) during the next school year. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |