84R9670 JRJ-D

By: Garcia S.B. No. 1480

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the development and alignment by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board of curricula for certain educational programs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 61.823, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

(e) The board, with the assistance of an appropriate advisory committee, shall periodically review each field of study curriculum to ensure alignment with student interest and academic and industry needs.

SECTION 2. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.8235 to read as follows:

Sec. 61.8235. CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OF STUDY CURRICULA. (a) The board, with the assistance of institutions of higher education, career and technical education experts, and college and career readiness experts, shall establish alignment between the college and career readiness standards and the knowledge, skills, and abilities students are expected to demonstrate in career and technical education by establishing programs of study that:

(1) incorporate rigorous college and career readiness standards, including career and technical education standards that address both academic and technical content;

(2) support attainment of employability and career readiness skills;

(3) progress in content specificity by beginning with all aspects of an industry or career cluster and leading to more occupationally specific instruction or by preparing students for ongoing postsecondary career preparation;

(4) incorporate multiple entry and exit points with portable demonstrations of technical or career competency, which may include credit transfer agreements or industry-recognized certifications; and

(5) culminate in the attainment of:

(A) an industry-recognized certification, credential, or license;

(B) a registered apprenticeship or credit-bearing postsecondary certificate; or

(C) an associate or baccalaureate degree.

(b) The board, with the assistance of advisory committees composed of representatives of secondary education, postsecondary education, business and industry, other state agencies or licensing bodies, and other career and technical education experts, shall develop career and technical education program of study curricula. Each advisory committee shall have at least one representative from each identified group. The advisory committees shall identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage jobs in high-demand occupations.

(c) In developing program of study curricula under Subsection (b), the board shall pursue a management strategy that maximizes efficiency, including a management strategy that provides for the decentralization of advisory committees to enable concurrent development of curricula for different programs of study.

(d) The board may partner with the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Workforce Commission, and other state agencies to develop programs of study under this section.

(e) A program of study established under this section must:

(1) focus on the current and future needs of employers in this state;

(2) clearly define career pathways with logical entry and exit points for students;

(3) indicate the types of careers and the names of certifications or licenses aligned to the program of study;

(4) provide for students who begin a program of study at a public junior college, public state college, or public technical institute to transfer to another public junior college, public state college, or public technical institute without having to repeat classes or incur significant interruption of their ability to progress through the program of study;

(5) be designed to meet the needs of business and industry with a high degree of commonality across the state;

(6) align with the college and career readiness standards; and

(7) be revised on a reoccurring schedule, not to exceed once every five years, to ensure the programs of study remain current and relevant to the needs of business and industry.

(f) A student enrolled in a board-established program of study who transfers from a public junior college, public state college, or public technical institute to another public junior college, public state college, or public technical institute that offers a similar program, regardless of whether the institution has adopted the board-established program of study, shall receive academic credit from the institution to which the student transferred for each of the courses that the student has successfully completed in the program of study curriculum. Unless otherwise required by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the student may complete the program of study at the institution to which the student transferred by completing only the remaining number of semester credit hours the student would need to complete the program of study at the institution from which the student transferred.

(g) The board, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Workforce Commission may adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this section.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.