BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1227
	By: Taylor
	Higher Education
	6/1/2021
	Enrolled

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The College-Level Examination Program, most commonly referred to as CLEP, is a rigorous credit-by-examination program that allows students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds to demonstrate mastery of introductory college-level material and earn college credit. The examinations are designed, developed, and approved by college and university faculty, and research consistently shows that students who score a 50 or higher on CLEP exams experience greater academic success in college and improved college completion rates.

S.B. 1227 adopts a uniform statewide credit-granting policy for CLEP. This bill will remove roadblocks for students and support the 60x30TX higher education strategic plan.

S.B. 1227 allows institutions to determine if a CLEP score is necessary to indicate whether a student is sufficiently prepared for advanced college courses. Institutions are given the ability to have higher CLEP score requirements on courses that are prerequisites for advanced level courses.

S.B. 1227 amends current law relating to the granting of undergraduate course credit at public institutions of higher education for certain scores on examinations administered through the College-Level Examination Program.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 51.968, Education Code, by adding Subsection (c-2), as follows:

(c-2) Prohibits an institution of higher education, in establishing the minimum required score on a College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examination for granting course credit for a particular lower-division course under Subsection (c) (relating to requiring the institution to establish conditions for granting course credit and to identify the correct course credit or requirements), from requiring a score higher than the minimum score recommended by the American Council on Education for granting course credit for that examination unless the institution's chief academic officer determines, based on evidence, that a higher score on the examination is necessary to indicate that a student is sufficiently prepared to be successful in a related, more advanced course for which the lower-division course is a prerequisite.

SECTION 2. Provides that Section 51.968(c-2), Education Code, as added by this Act, applies to entering freshman students at public institutions of higher education beginning with the 2022 spring semester.

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2021.