84R9670 JRJ-D
By: Clardy H.B. No. 2628
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the development and alignment by the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board of curricula for certain educational
programs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 61.823, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
(e) The board, with the assistance of an appropriate
advisory committee, shall periodically review each field of study
curriculum to ensure alignment with student interest and academic
and industry needs.
SECTION 2. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.8235 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.8235. CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM OF
STUDY CURRICULA. (a) The board, with the assistance of
institutions of higher education, career and technical education
experts, and college and career readiness experts, shall establish
alignment between the college and career readiness standards and
the knowledge, skills, and abilities students are expected to
demonstrate in career and technical education by establishing
programs of study that:
(1) incorporate rigorous college and career readiness
standards, including career and technical education standards that
address both academic and technical content;
(2) support attainment of employability and career
readiness skills;
(3) progress in content specificity by beginning with
all aspects of an industry or career cluster and leading to more
occupationally specific instruction or by preparing students for
ongoing postsecondary career preparation;
(4) incorporate multiple entry and exit points with
portable demonstrations of technical or career competency, which
may include credit transfer agreements or industry-recognized
certifications; and
(5) culminate in the attainment of:
(A) an industry-recognized certification,
credential, or license;
(B) a registered apprenticeship or
credit-bearing postsecondary certificate; or
(C) an associate or baccalaureate degree.
(b) The board, with the assistance of advisory committees
composed of representatives of secondary education, postsecondary
education, business and industry, other state agencies or licensing
bodies, and other career and technical education experts, shall
develop career and technical education program of study curricula.
Each advisory committee shall have at least one representative from
each identified group. The advisory committees shall identify the
knowledge, skills, and abilities required to prepare students for
high-skill, high-wage jobs in high-demand occupations.
(c) In developing program of study curricula under
Subsection (b), the board shall pursue a management strategy that
maximizes efficiency, including a management strategy that
provides for the decentralization of advisory committees to enable
concurrent development of curricula for different programs of
study.
(d) The board may partner with the Texas Education Agency,
the Texas Workforce Commission, and other state agencies to develop
programs of study under this section.
(e) A program of study established under this section must:
(1) focus on the current and future needs of employers
in this state;
(2) clearly define career pathways with logical entry
and exit points for students;
(3) indicate the types of careers and the names of
certifications or licenses aligned to the program of study;
(4) provide for students who begin a program of study
at a public junior college, public state college, or public
technical institute to transfer to another public junior college,
public state college, or public technical institute without having
to repeat classes or incur significant interruption of their
ability to progress through the program of study;
(5) be designed to meet the needs of business and
industry with a high degree of commonality across the state;
(6) align with the college and career readiness
standards; and
(7) be revised on a reoccurring schedule, not to
exceed once every five years, to ensure the programs of study remain
current and relevant to the needs of business and industry.
(f) A student enrolled in a board-established program of
study who transfers from a public junior college, public state
college, or public technical institute to another public junior
college, public state college, or public technical institute that
offers a similar program, regardless of whether the institution has
adopted the board-established program of study, shall receive
academic credit from the institution to which the student
transferred for each of the courses that the student has
successfully completed in the program of study curriculum. Unless
otherwise required by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools, the student may complete the
program of study at the institution to which the student
transferred by completing only the remaining number of semester
credit hours the student would need to complete the program of study
at the institution from which the student transferred.
(g) The board, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas
Workforce Commission may adopt rules as necessary for the
administration of this section.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.