Texas 2011 82nd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1348 Introduced / Bill

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                    82R9850 VOO-F
 By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 1348


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to higher education curriculum review teams to review
 public school curriculum standards for college readiness purposes.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
 amended by adding Section 28.0024 to read as follows:
 Sec. 28.0024.  HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM REVIEW TEAMS.
 (a)  For each subject undergoing a review for the purpose of
 identifying and adopting the essential knowledge and skills of a
 subject of the required curriculum under Section 28.002, the
 commissioner of higher education shall appoint a higher education
 curriculum review team to review and make recommendations to the
 State Board of Education concerning the essential knowledge and
 skills to ensure that proposed essential knowledge and skills:
 (1)  are factually accurate and aligned with
 contemporary scholarship;
 (2)  serve to prepare students for college; and
 (3)  serve appropriate instructional purposes.
 (b)  Each higher education curriculum review team shall
 consist of not fewer than five and not more than 10 faculty members
 of institutions of higher education, as defined by Section 61.003.
 Each member appointed to a team must have:
 (1)  at least five years of higher education teaching
 experience in the subject under review and a terminal degree in that
 subject; or
 (2)  at least five years of higher education teaching
 experience in the field of education and a doctoral degree in
 education.
 (c)  For each higher education curriculum review team, a
 public institution of higher education may nominate one faculty
 member qualified under Subsection (b).  A nomination made under
 this subsection must be submitted to the commissioner of higher
 education together with a document of not more than one page
 detailing the faculty member's experience, including specific
 experience with the subject under review by the team.
 (d)  The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
 develop and post on the board's Internet website a blind scoring
 system for ranking nominations made under Subsection (c) by level
 of expertise in the subject under review by each higher education
 curriculum review team.
 (e)  The commissioner of higher education, based on the
 system developed under Subsection (d), shall make the appointments
 to each higher education curriculum review team from among persons
 nominated by institutions of higher education under this section.
 (f)  Notwithstanding Subsections (c) and (e), if the subject
 under review by a higher education curriculum review team is career
 and technical education, at least one member of the team must be
 selected from each of the following institutions:
 (1)  Texas State Technical College System; and
 (2)  Lamar Institute of Technology.
 (g)  In selecting appointees for a higher education
 curriculum review team, the commissioner of higher education shall
 attempt to achieve a balanced combination of educational
 perspectives.
 (h)  Each higher education curriculum review team shall,
 before final identification and adoption of the essential knowledge
 and skills by the State Board of Education, make recommendations to
 the State Board of Education concerning the essential knowledge and
 skills.
 (i)  The agency shall post on the agency's Internet website
 the recommendations of each higher education curriculum review
 team.
 (j)  The commissioner of higher education shall coordinate
 with the State Board of Education as necessary for the
 administration of this section.
 SECTION 2.  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, 2011.