|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a personal financial literacy credit for high school |
|
programs. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 28.002(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) Each school district that offers kindergarten through |
|
grade 12 shall offer, as a required curriculum: |
|
(1) a foundation curriculum that includes: |
|
(A) English language arts; |
|
(B) mathematics; |
|
(C) science; and |
|
(D) social studies, consisting of Texas, United |
|
States, and world history, government, economics, with emphasis on |
|
the free enterprise system and its benefits, and geography; and |
|
(2) an enrichment curriculum that includes: |
|
(A) to the extent possible, languages other than |
|
English; |
|
(B) health, with emphasis on the importance of |
|
proper nutrition and exercise; |
|
(C) physical education; |
|
(D) fine arts; |
|
(E) career and technology education; |
|
(F) technology applications; [and] |
|
(G) religious literature, including the Hebrew |
|
Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on |
|
history and literature; and |
|
(H) personal financial literacy. |
|
SECTION 2. Section 28.0021(a), Education Code, as amended |
|
by Chapters 214 (H.B. 34) and 885 (S.B. 290), Acts of the 82nd |
|
Legislature, Regular Session, 2011, is reenacted and amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) The Texas essential knowledge and skills and, as |
|
applicable, Section 28.025 shall include [require] instruction in |
|
personal financial literacy, including instruction in methods of |
|
paying for college and other postsecondary education and training, |
|
in: |
|
(1) mathematics instruction in kindergarten through |
|
grade eight; and |
|
(2) one or more courses offered [required] for high |
|
school graduation. |
|
SECTION 3. Sections 28.0021(b) and (c), Education Code, are |
|
amended to read as follows: |
|
(b) Each school district and each open-enrollment charter |
|
school that offers a high school program shall provide an elective |
|
course [to a student instruction] in personal financial literacy |
|
that meets [in any course meeting] the requirements for a one-half |
|
elective [an economics] credit under Section 28.025, using |
|
materials approved by the State Board of Education. The |
|
instruction in personal financial literacy must include |
|
instruction on completing the application for federal student aid |
|
provided by the United States Department of Education. In |
|
fulfilling the requirement to provide financial literacy |
|
instruction under this section, a school district or |
|
open-enrollment charter school may use an existing state, federal, |
|
private, or nonprofit program that provides students without charge |
|
the instruction described under this section. [Each district and
|
|
each open-enrollment charter school that offers a high school
|
|
program shall ensure that a district or charter school student
|
|
enrolled at an institution of higher education in a dual credit
|
|
course meeting the requirements for an economics credit under
|
|
Section 28.025 receives the instruction described under this
|
|
subsection.] |
|
(c) The State Board of Education shall, not later than |
|
January 31, 2012, identify the essential knowledge and skills of |
|
personal financial literacy instruction to include instruction in |
|
methods of paying for college and other postsecondary education and |
|
training and shall, not later than August 31, 2012, approve under |
|
Subsection (b) materials that provide for such |
|
instruction. Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, each |
|
school district and each open-enrollment charter school that offers |
|
a high school program shall include, in the elective course |
|
[required instruction] in personal financial literacy, instruction |
|
in methods of paying for college and other postsecondary education |
|
and training and use materials approved for that purpose under |
|
Subsection (b) [and shall ensure that the instruction described
|
|
under this subsection is provided to a district or charter school
|
|
student enrolled at an institution of higher education in a dual
|
|
credit course meeting the requirements for an economics
|
|
credit]. This subsection expires September 1, 2014. |
|
SECTION 4. 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, 2013. |
|
|
|
* * * * * |