BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1776

By: Menéndez

Higher Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties suggest that, because certain college preparatory courses address college readiness up front, students who successfully complete them should be exempt from assessment requirements under the Texas Success Initiative, which has a corresponding goal of assessing incoming undergraduate students' readiness to enroll in freshman-level coursework, for a longer period of time. S.B. 1776 seeks to eliminate duplicative and potentially costly developmental education course requirements for students and allow successful students to proceed to college by extending the exemption.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1776 amends the Education Code to establish that the exemption for each high school student who successfully completes certain college preparatory courses from the assessment requirements of the Texas Success Initiative with respect to the content area of each such course is effective for the two-year period following the date the student graduates from high school. The bill conditions the exemption on the student enrolling in the student's first college-level course in the exempted content area in the student's first year of enrollment at an institution of higher education. The bill requires the institution, if the student earns a grade below a "C" in the student's first college-level course in the exempted content area, to advise the student of non-course-based options for becoming college ready, such as tutoring or accelerated learning.

S.B. 1776 removes the requirement that the commissioner of higher education by rule establish the period for which the exemption is valid. The bill requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to collect and analyze data regarding the effectiveness of college preparatory courses as measured by students' successful completion of the first college-level course in the exempted content area. The bill requires the coordinating board to report its findings to all partnering institutions of higher education and independent school districts of each college preparatory course evaluated, as well as the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and members of the house and senate committees on higher education. The bill's provisions apply beginning with the assessment of entering undergraduate students at public institutions of higher education for the 2015 fall semester.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.