| 1 | 1 | | By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1731 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Filed March 11, 2011; March 23, 2011, read |
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| 3 | 3 | | first time and referred to Committee on Higher Education; |
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| 4 | 4 | | April 28, 2011, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6, |
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| 5 | 5 | | Nays 0; April 28, 2011, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
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| 10 | 10 | | relating to requiring public junior colleges to offer an academic |
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| 11 | 11 | | associate degree program. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 130, Education Code, is |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 130.0013 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 130.0013. ACADEMIC ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAM. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (a) Each public junior college shall offer one or more academic |
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| 17 | 17 | | associate degree programs designed to transfer in their entirety |
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| 18 | 18 | | for course credit in a baccalaureate degree program at a general |
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| 19 | 19 | | academic teaching institution. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) An academic associate degree program must consist of at |
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| 21 | 21 | | least 60 semester credit hours, but not exceed 66 semester credit |
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| 22 | 22 | | hours. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (c) An academic associate degree program curriculum must |
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| 24 | 24 | | incorporate: |
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| 25 | 25 | | (1) a core curriculum established under Section |
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| 26 | 26 | | 61.822; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (2) a statewide articulated transfer curriculum |
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| 28 | 28 | | approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that |
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| 29 | 29 | | aligns with the lower-division requirements of one or more specific |
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| 30 | 30 | | baccalaureate degree programs; or |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) a specified curriculum covered by an articulation |
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| 32 | 32 | | agreement between the junior college district and one or more other |
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| 33 | 33 | | institutions of higher education. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (d) An academic associate degree program offered under this |
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| 35 | 35 | | section must meet all applicable accreditation requirements of the |
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| 36 | 36 | | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on |
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| 37 | 37 | | Colleges. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (e) The coordinating board shall adopt rules the board |
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| 39 | 39 | | considers appropriate for the administration of this section. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 41 | 41 | | and the governing board of each junior college district shall adopt |
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| 42 | 42 | | rules or policies relating to the academic associate degree program |
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| 43 | 43 | | under Section 130.0013, Education Code, as added by this Act, not |
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| 44 | 44 | | later than February 1, 2012. |
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| 45 | 45 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies |
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| 46 | 46 | | beginning with the 2012 fall semester. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |
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| 48 | 48 | | * * * * * |
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