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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to higher education curriculum review teams to review |
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public school curriculum standards for college readiness purposes. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 28.0024 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 28.0024. HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM REVIEW TEAMS. |
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(a) For each subject undergoing a review for the purpose of |
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identifying and adopting the essential knowledge and skills of a |
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subject of the required curriculum under Section 28.002, the |
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commissioner of higher education shall appoint a higher education |
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curriculum review team to review and make recommendations to the |
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State Board of Education concerning the essential knowledge and |
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skills to ensure that proposed essential knowledge and skills: |
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(1) are factually accurate and aligned with |
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contemporary scholarship; |
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(2) serve to prepare students for college; and |
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(3) serve appropriate instructional purposes. |
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(b) Each higher education curriculum review team shall |
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consist of not fewer than five and not more than 10 faculty members |
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of institutions of higher education or private or independent |
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institutions of higher education, as defined by Section 61.003. |
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Each member appointed to a team must have: |
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(1) at least five years of higher education teaching |
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experience in the subject under review and a terminal degree in that |
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subject; or |
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(2) at least five years of higher education teaching |
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experience in the field of education and a doctoral degree in |
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education. |
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(c) For each higher education curriculum review team, a |
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public institution of higher education or private or independent |
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institution of higher education may nominate one faculty member |
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qualified under Subsection (b). A nomination made under this |
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subsection must be submitted to the commissioner of higher |
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education together with a document of not more than one page |
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detailing the faculty member's experience, including specific |
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experience with the subject under review by the team. |
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(d) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, in |
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collaboration with the commissioner of education, shall develop and |
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post on the board's Internet website a blind scoring system, |
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including the criteria on which the scoring is based, for ranking |
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nominations made under Subsection (c). |
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(e) The commissioner of higher education, based on the |
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system developed under Subsection (d), shall make the appointments |
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to each higher education curriculum review team from among persons |
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nominated by institutions of higher education or private or |
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independent institutions of higher education under this section. |
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(f) Notwithstanding Subsections (c) and (e), if the subject |
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under review by a higher education curriculum review team is career |
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and technical education, at least one member of the team must be |
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selected from each of the following institutions: |
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(1) Texas State Technical College System; and |
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(2) Lamar Institute of Technology. |
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(g) In selecting appointees for a higher education |
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curriculum review team, the commissioner of higher education shall |
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attempt to achieve a balanced combination of educational |
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perspectives. |
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(h) Each higher education curriculum review team shall, |
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before final identification and adoption of the essential knowledge |
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and skills by the State Board of Education, make recommendations to |
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the State Board of Education concerning the essential knowledge and |
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skills. |
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(i) The agency shall post on the agency's Internet website |
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the recommendations of each higher education curriculum review |
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team. |
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(j) The commissioner of higher education shall coordinate |
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with the State Board of Education as necessary for the |
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administration of this section. |
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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, 2011. |
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