86R13573 KJE-D
 
  By: Powell S.B. No. 1276
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to an agreement between a school district and public
  institution of higher education to provide a dual credit program to
  high school students enrolled in the district.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 28.009(b-2), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b-2)  Any agreement, including a memorandum of
  understanding or articulation agreement, between a school district
  and public institution of higher education to provide a dual credit
  program described by Subsection (b-1) must:
               (1)  include specific program goals aligned with the
  statewide goals developed under Subsection (b-1);
               (2)  establish common advising strategies and
  terminology related to dual credit and college readiness;
               (3)  provide for the alignment of endorsements
  described by Section 28.025(c-1) offered by the district, and dual
  credit courses offered under the agreement that apply towards those
  endorsements, with postsecondary pathways and credentials at the
  institution and industry certifications;
               (4)  identify tools, including tools developed by the
  agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, or the Texas
  Workforce Commission, to assist school counselors, students, and
  families in selecting endorsements offered by the district and dual
  credit courses offered under the agreement;
               (5)  establish, or provide a procedure for
  establishing, the course credits that may be earned under the
  agreement, including by developing a course equivalency crosswalk
  or other method for equating high school courses with college
  courses and identifying the number of credits that may be earned for
  each course completed through the program;
               (6) [(3)]  describe the academic supports and, if
  applicable, guidance that will be provided to students
  participating in the program;
               (7) [(4)]  establish the district's and the
  institution's respective roles and responsibilities in providing
  the program and ensuring the quality and instructional rigor of the
  program;
               (8) [(5)]  state the sources of funding for courses
  offered under the program, including, at a minimum, the sources of
  funding for tuition, transportation, and any required fees or
  textbooks for students participating in the program; and
               (9) [(6)]  be posted each year on the district's and the
  institution's respective Internet websites.
         SECTION 2.  Section 28.009(b-2), Education Code, as amended
  by this Act, applies only to an agreement to provide a dual credit
  program entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2019.  An
  agreement to provide a dual credit program entered into or renewed
  before September 1, 2019, is governed by the law as it existed at
  the time the agreement was entered into or renewed, and the former
  law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 3.  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, 2019.