83R11285 KSD-D
By: Larson H.B. No. 3492
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to eliminating the automatic admission of students to
certain public institutions of higher education and scholarships
for certain students who qualify for automatic admission.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. The heading to Section 51.805, Education Code,
is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 51.805. ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY FOR ADMISSION; FACTORS
CONSIDERED IN [OTHER] ADMISSIONS.
SECTION 2. Section 51.805, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsections (a-1) and
(a-2) to read as follows:
(a) A graduating high school student [who does not qualify
for admission under Section 51.803 or 51.804] may apply to any
general academic teaching institution if:
(1) the student [satisfies the requirements of]:
(A) successfully completed:
(i) at a public high school, the curriculum
requirements established under Section 28.025 for the recommended
or advanced high school program; or
(ii) at a high school to which Section
28.025 does not apply, including a high school outside this state, a
curriculum that is equivalent in content and rigor to the
recommended or advanced high school program; or
(B) satisfied the ACT College Readiness
Benchmarks on the ACT assessment applicable to the student or
earned on the SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400
or the equivalent; and
(2) the student provides a high school transcript or
diploma that satisfies the requirements of Subsection (a-2)
[(1) Section 51.803(a)(2)(A) or 51.803(b), as applicable to the
student, or Section 51.803(a)(2)(B); and
[(2) Sections 51.803(c)(2) and 51.803(d)].
(a-1) A student who does not satisfy the curriculum
requirements prescribed by Subsection (a)(1)(A)(i) or (ii) is
considered to have satisfied those requirements if the student
completed the portion of the recommended or advanced curriculum or
of the curriculum equivalent in content and rigor, as applicable,
that was available to the student but was unable to complete the
remainder of the curriculum solely because courses necessary to
complete the remainder were unavailable to the student at the
appropriate times in the student's high school career as a result of
course scheduling, lack of enrollment capacity, or another cause
not within the student's control.
(a-2) For purposes of Subsection (a)(1)(A), a student's
official transcript or diploma must, not later than the end of the
student's junior year, indicate:
(1) whether the student has satisfied or is on
schedule to satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a)(1)(A)(i) or
(ii), as applicable; or
(2) if Subsection (a-1) applies to the student,
whether the student has completed the portion of the recommended or
advanced curriculum or of the curriculum equivalent in content and
rigor, as applicable, that was available to the student.
(b) [The general academic teaching institution, after
admitting students under Sections 51.803 and 51.804, shall admit
other applicants for admission as undergraduate students.] It is
the intent of the legislature that all institutions of higher
education pursue academic excellence by considering students'
academic achievements in decisions related to admissions. Because
of changing demographic trends, diversity, and population
increases in the state, each general academic teaching institution
shall also consider all of, any of, or a combination of the
following socioeconomic indicators or factors in making first-time
freshman admissions decisions:
(1) the applicant's academic record;
(2) the socioeconomic background of the applicant,
including the percentage by which the applicant's family is above
or below any recognized measure of poverty, the applicant's
household income, and the applicant's parents' level of education;
(3) whether the applicant would be the first
generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate from an
institution of higher education;
(4) whether the applicant has bilingual proficiency;
(5) the financial status of the applicant's school
district;
(6) the performance level of the applicant's school as
determined by the school accountability criteria used by the Texas
Education Agency;
(7) the applicant's responsibilities while attending
school, including whether the applicant has been employed, whether
the applicant has helped to raise children, or other similar
factors;
(8) the applicant's region of residence;
(9) whether the applicant is a resident of a rural or
urban area or a resident of a central city or suburban area in the
state;
(10) the applicant's performance on standardized
tests;
(11) the applicant's performance on standardized tests
in comparison with that of other students from similar
socioeconomic backgrounds;
(12) whether the applicant attended any school while
the school was under a court-ordered desegregation plan;
(13) the applicant's involvement in community
activities;
(14) the applicant's extracurricular activities;
(15) the applicant's commitment to a particular field
of study;
(16) the applicant's personal interview;
(17) the applicant's admission to a comparable
accredited out-of-state institution; and
(18) any other consideration the institution
considers necessary to accomplish the institution's stated
mission.
SECTION 3. Section 29.911(b), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) During the designated week, each middle school, junior
high school, and high school shall provide students with
comprehensive grade-appropriate information regarding the pursuit
of higher education. The information provided must include
information regarding:
(1) higher education options available to students;
(2) standard admission requirements for institutions
of higher education, including:
(A) overall high school grade point average;
(B) required curriculum;
(C) college readiness standards and expectations
as determined under Section 28.008; and
(D) scores necessary on generally recognized
tests or assessment instruments used in admissions determinations,
including the Scholastic Assessment Test and the American College
Test; and
(3) [automatic admission of certain students to
general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section
51.803; and
[(4)] financial aid availability and requirements,
including the financial aid information provided by counselors
under Section 33.007(b).
SECTION 4. Section 33.007(b), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) During the first school year a student is enrolled in a
high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment
charter school, and again during a student's senior year, a
counselor shall provide information about higher education to the
student and the student's parent or guardian. The information must
include information regarding:
(1) the importance of higher education;
(2) the advantages of completing the recommended or
advanced high school program adopted under Section 28.025(a);
(3) the disadvantages of taking courses to prepare for
a high school equivalency examination relative to the benefits of
taking courses leading to a high school diploma;
(4) financial aid eligibility;
(5) instruction on how to apply for federal financial
aid;
(6) the center for financial aid information
established under Section 61.0776;
(7) [the automatic admission of certain students to
general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section
51.803;
[(8)] the eligibility and academic performance
requirements for the TEXAS Grant as provided by Subchapter M,
Chapter 56; and
(8) [(9)] the availability of programs in the district
under which a student may earn college credit, including advanced
placement programs, dual credit programs, joint high school and
college credit programs, and international baccalaureate programs.
SECTION 5. Section 51.4032, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 51.4032. ANNUAL REPORT OF PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER
EDUCATION. Not later than December 1 of each year and in the form
prescribed by the coordinating board, each general academic
teaching institution and medical and dental unit as defined
in Section 61.003 shall provide to the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board and shall publish on the institution's website a
report describing the composition of the institution's entering
class of students. The report must include a demographic breakdown
of the class, including a breakdown by race, ethnicity, economic
status, and high school class standing. A report submitted by a
general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit as
defined in Section 61.003 must include [separate demographic
breakdowns of the students admitted under Sections 51.803, 51.804,
and 51.805 and] a description of any plans, policies, or programs
developed or implemented by the institution to recruit and retain
students from underrepresented groups such as racial or ethnic
minority groups.
SECTION 6. Section 51.842(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) A graduate or professional program of a general academic
teaching institution or medical or dental unit may consider the
following factors in making an admissions or scholarship decision
for admissions into or competitive scholarships for the graduate or
professional program:
(1) an applicant's academic record as a high school
student and undergraduate student;
(2) the socioeconomic background of the applicant
while the applicant attended elementary and secondary school and
was an undergraduate student, including any change in that
background;
(3) whether the applicant would be the first
generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate from an
undergraduate program or from a graduate or professional program;
(4) whether the applicant has multilingual
proficiency;
(5) the applicant's responsibilities while attending
elementary and secondary school and as an undergraduate student,
including whether the applicant was employed, whether the applicant
helped to raise children, and other similar factors;
(6) to achieve geographic diversity, the applicant's
region of residence at the time of application and, if the applicant
graduated from a public high school in this state within the
preceding 20 years, the region in which the applicant's school
district is located;
(7) the applicant's involvement in community
activities;
(8) the applicant's demonstrated commitment to a
particular field of study;
(9) for admission into a professional program, the
current comparative availability of members of that profession in
the applicant's region of residence while the applicant attended
elementary and secondary school; and
(10) [whether the applicant was automatically
admitted to a general academic teaching institution as an
undergraduate student under Section 51.803; and
[(11)] the applicant's personal interview.
SECTION 7. The following provisions of the Education Code
are repealed:
(1) Sections 28.026, 33.007(c), 51.803, 51.8035,
51.804, and 51.8045; and
(2) Subchapter R, Chapter 56.
SECTION 8. The changes in law made by this Act to Subchapter
U, Chapter 51, Education Code, apply beginning with admissions to
an institution of higher education for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Admissions to an institution of higher education for an academic
year before that academic year are governed by the law in effect
immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former
law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 9. The repeal by this Act of Subchapter R, Chapter
56, Education Code, does not affect a student initially awarded a
scholarship under that subchapter for a semester or other academic
term before the effective date of this Act. A student who initially
receives a scholarship for a semester or other academic term before
that date may continue to receive a scholarship under Subchapter R,
Chapter 56, Education Code, as that subchapter existed immediately
before the effective date of this Act, to the extent funds are
available for that purpose, as long as the student remains eligible
for a scholarship under the former law. The Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board shall adopt rules to administer this section and
shall notify each student who receives a scholarship in the
2013-2014 academic year of the provisions of this section.
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect January 1, 2014.