Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1564 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: West S.B. No. 1564
2	2	(Castro)
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to developmental education courses and the assessment of
8	8	student readiness under the Texas Success Initiative for public
9	9	institutions of higher education.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 51.3062, Education Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subsections (a-1), (i-2), (i-3), and (i-4) and amending
13	13	Subsections (f), (i), and (k) to read as follows:
14	14	(a-1) In this section, "program evaluation" means a
15	15	systematic method of collecting, analyzing, and using information
16	16	to answer questions about developmental education courses,
17	17	interventions, and policies, particularly about their
18	18	effectiveness and cost-efficiency.
19	19	(f) Each assessment instrument designated by the board for
20	20	use under this section must be diagnostic in nature and designed to
21	21	assess a student's readiness to perform freshman-level academic
22	22	coursework. The board shall prescribe a single standard or set of
23	23	standards for each [the] assessment instrument to effectively
24	24	measure student readiness as demonstrated by current research [or
25	25	instruments that reflect that student readiness. An institution of
26	26	higher education may adopt more stringent assessment standards with
27	27	respect to student readiness].
28	28	(i) The institution of higher education may refer a student
29	29	to developmental coursework as considered necessary by the
30	30	institution to address a student's deficiencies in the student's
31	31	readiness to perform freshman-level academic coursework, except
32	32	that the institution may not require enrollment in developmental
33	33	coursework with respect to a student previously determined under
34	34	Subsection (q-1) or determined by any institution of higher
35	35	education to have met college-readiness standards. An institution
36	36	that requires a student to enroll in developmental coursework must
37	37	offer a range of developmental coursework, including online
38	38	coursework, or instructional support that includes the integration
39	39	of technology to efficiently address the particular developmental
40	40	needs of the student.
41	41	(i-2) An institution of higher education must base
42	42	developmental coursework on research-based best practices that
43	43	include the following components:
44	44	(1) assessment;
45	45	(2) differentiated placement and instruction;
46	46	(3) faculty development;
47	47	(4) support services;
48	48	(5) program evaluation;
49	49	(6) integration of technology with an emphasis on
50	50	instructional support programs;
51	51	(7) non-course-based developmental education
52	52	interventions; and
53	53	(8) course pairing of developmental education courses
54	54	with credit-bearing courses.
55	55	(i-3) The board shall adopt rules for the implementation of
56	56	Subsection (i-2).
57	57	(i-4) The board, in consultation with institutions of
58	58	higher education, shall develop and provide professional
59	59	development programs, including instruction in differentiated
60	60	instruction methods designed to address students' diverse learning
61	61	needs, to faculty and staff who provide developmental coursework to
62	62	students.
63	63	(k) An institution of higher education shall determine when
64	64	a student is ready to perform freshman-level academic coursework.
65	65	The institution must make its determination using learning outcomes
66	66	for developmental education courses developed by the board based on
67	67	established college and career readiness standards and student
68	68	performance on one or more appropriate assessments [on an
69	69	individual basis according to the needs of the student. The
70	70	determination shall include:
71	71	[(1) requiring a student to retake a board-approved
72	72	assessment instrument, if the student did not initially perform
73	73	within a deviation established by the board; or
74	74	[(2) other board-approved means of evaluating student
75	75	readiness, if the student did not initially pass the assessment
76	76	instrument but performed within a deviation established by the
77	77	board].
78	78	SECTION 2. Subsection (e), Section 51.3062, Education Code,
79	79	is repealed.
80	80	SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies
81	81	beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year.
82	82	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
83	83	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
84	84	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
85	85	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
86	86	Act takes effect September 1, 2011.