84R11910 KSD-D
By: Capriglione H.B. No. 2740
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the automatic admission of students to general academic
teaching institutions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 51.803(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) Subject to Subsection (a-1), each general academic
teaching institution shall admit an applicant for admission to the
institution as an undergraduate student if the applicant graduated
with a grade point average in the top eight [10] percent of the
student's high school graduating class in one of the two school
years preceding the academic year for which the applicant is
applying for admission and:
(1) the applicant graduated from a public or private
high school in this state accredited by a generally recognized
accrediting organization or from a high school operated by the
United States Department of Defense;
(2) the applicant:
(A) successfully completed:
(i) at a public high school, the curriculum
requirements established under Section 28.025 for the
distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school
program; or
(ii) at a high school to which Section
28.025 does not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content
and rigor to the distinguished level of achievement under the
foundation high school program; or
(B) satisfied ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks
on the ACT assessment applicable to the applicant or earned on the
SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400 or the
equivalent; and
(3) if the applicant graduated from a high school
operated by the United States Department of Defense, the applicant
is a Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is entitled to pay
tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section
54.241(d) for the term or semester to which admitted.
SECTION 2. Section 28.02121(a), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) The agency, in consultation with the Texas Workforce
Commission and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, shall
prepare and make available to each school district in English and
Spanish information that explains the advantages of the
distinguished level of achievement described by Section
28.025(b-15) and each endorsement described by Section
28.025(c-1). The information must contain an explanation:
(1) concerning the benefits of choosing a high school
personal graduation plan that includes the distinguished level of
achievement under the foundation high school program and includes
one or more endorsements to enable the student to achieve a class
rank that qualifies the student for automatic admission under
Section 51.803(a) [in the top 10 percent for students at the
campus]; and
(2) that encourages parents, to the greatest extent
practicable, to have the student choose a high school personal
graduation plan described by Subdivision (1).
SECTION 3. Section 28.026(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The board of trustees of a school district and the
governing body of each open-enrollment charter school that provides
a high school shall require each high school in the district or
provided by the charter school, as applicable, to post appropriate
signs in each school counselor's office, in each principal's
office, and in each administrative building indicating the
substance of Section 51.803 regarding automatic college admission
and stating the curriculum requirements for financial aid
authorized under Title 3. To assist in the dissemination of that
information, the district or charter school shall:
(1) require that each school counselor and class
advisor at a high school be provided a detailed explanation of the
substance of Section 51.803 and the curriculum requirements for
financial aid authorized under Title 3;
(2) provide each district or school student, at the
time the student first registers for one or more classes required
for high school graduation, with a written notification, including
a detailed explanation in plain language, of the substance of
Section 51.803, the curriculum requirements for financial aid
authorized under Title 3, and the benefits of completing the
requirements for that automatic admission and financial aid;
(3) require that each school counselor and senior
class advisor at a high school explain to eligible students the
substance of Section 51.803; and
(4) not later than the 14th day after the last day of
classes for the fall semester or an equivalent date in the case of a
school operated on a year-round system under Section 25.084,
provide each senior student eligible under Section 51.803 and each
student enrolled in the junior year of high school who has a grade
point average that would qualify the student for automatic
admission under Section 51.803(a) [in the top 10 percent of the
student's high school class], and the student's parent or guardian,
with a written notification of the student's eligibility with a
detailed explanation in plain language of the substance of Section
51.803.
SECTION 4. The heading to Subchapter R, Chapter 56,
Education Code, is amended to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER R. SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS GRADUATING IN TOP EIGHT
[10] PERCENT OF HIGH SCHOOL CLASS
SECTION 5. Section 56.481, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 56.481. PURPOSE. The purpose of this program is to
encourage attendance at public institutions of higher education in
this state by outstanding high school students in the top eight [10]
percent of their graduating class.
SECTION 6. Section 56.484, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 56.484. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY FOR SCHOLARSHIP. To be
eligible for a scholarship under this subchapter, a student must:
(1) have graduated from a public or accredited private
high school in this state while ranked:
(A) in the top 10 percent of the student's
graduating class, if the student graduated in a school year before
the 2015-2016 school year, subject to Section 56.487(b); or
(B) in the top eight percent of the student's
graduating class, if the student graduated in the 2015-2016 school
year or a subsequent school year, subject to Section 56.487(b);
(2) have completed the recommended or advanced high
school curriculum established under Section 28.025 or its
equivalent;
(3) have applied for admission as a first-time
freshman student for an [the 2010-2011] academic year [or a
subsequent academic year] to an institution of higher education
that has elected to offer admissions for that academic year to
applicants as provided by Section 51.803(a-1);
(4) enroll as a first-time freshman student in an
institution of higher education not later than the 16th month after
the date of the student's high school graduation;
(5) have been awarded a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M
for the same semester or other academic term for which the
scholarship will be awarded;
(6) be a Texas resident under Section 54.052; and
(7) comply with any other eligibility requirements
established by coordinating board rule.
SECTION 7. Section 61.0902(b), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(b) Not later than the next November 1 following the
completion of an academic year, each general academic teaching
institution shall provide to the board one or more reports
containing data related to:
(1) the qualifications of the entering freshman class
for the academic year covered by the report, including:
(A) the average Texas Academic Skills Program
Test scores of the class;
(B) the average scores of the class on each
generally recognized test or assessment used in college and
university undergraduate admissions, including the Scholastic
Assessment Test and the American College Test;
(C) the range of scores of the class from the 25th
to the 75th percentile on each generally recognized test or
assessment used in college and university undergraduate
admissions, including the Scholastic Assessment Test and the
American College Test;
(D) the overall grade point average of the class
for the academic year covered by the report;
(E) the number of students in the class who
graduated from [in the top 10 percent of the student's] high school
with a grade point average that would qualify the student for
automatic admission under Section 51.803(a) [graduating class];
and
(F) enrollment percentages by ethnicity; and
(2) student performance and institution efficiency,
including:
(A) the retention rate of full-time students
after the completion of one academic year at the institution;
(B) the percentage of full-time degree-seeking
undergraduate students who earn a baccalaureate degree before the
sixth anniversary of the date of the student's first enrollment at
the institution;
(C) the percentage of lower-division semester
credit hours taught by tenured or tenure-track faculty;
(D) the percentage of undergraduate classes with
fewer than 20 students;
(E) the percentage of undergraduate classes with
more than 50 students;
(F) the student-to-faculty ratio for
undergraduate students;
(G) the percentage of students receiving
financial aid;
(H) the average cost of tuition and fees for an
undergraduate student enrolled for 12 semester credit hours;
(I) the average cost of on-campus room and board
for an academic year, excluding summer sessions;
(J) the number of disciplines in which master's
degrees are offered;
(K) the number of disciplines in which doctoral
degrees are offered;
(L) a description of any departments, schools, or
certificate or degree programs of the institution that have a
statewide or national reputation for excellence; and
(M) statistics regarding job placement rates for
students awarded certificates or degrees by the institution.
SECTION 8. (a) The change in law made by this Act to Section
51.803(a), Education Code, applies beginning with admission to a
general academic teaching institution for the 2016-2017 academic
year, except as provided by Subsection (b) of this section.
Admissions to a general academic teaching institution for an
academic period 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.
(b) For purposes of admissions to a general academic
teaching institution for the 2016-2017 academic year, Section
51.803(a), as that section existed on January 1, 2015, applies to an
applicant for admission who graduated from high school in the
2014-2015 school year.
SECTION 9. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
28.02121(a) and 28.026(a), Education Code, apply beginning with the
2015-2016 school year.
SECTION 10. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
this section, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
(b) Section 7 of this Act takes effect January 1, 2016.