Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB298 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		84R17115 KSD-F
2	2		By: Wu, Morrison, Alvarado, King of Hemphill, H.B. No. 298
3		-	McClendon
4		-	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 298:
5		-	By: Turner of Tarrant C.S.H.B. No. 298
	3	+	McClendon, et al.
6	4
7	5
8	6		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
9	7		AN ACT
10	8		relating to measures to facilitate the transfer, academic progress,
11	9		and timely graduation of students in public higher education.
12	10		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	11		SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
14	12		amended by adding Section 51.96852 to read as follows:
15	13		Sec. 51.96852. TRANSFER OF CREDIT FROM LOWER-DIVISION
16	14		INSTITUTIONS; ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS. (a) In this section:
17	15		(1) "Articulation agreement" means a formal written
18	16		agreement between a public junior college and a general academic
19	17		teaching institution identifying courses offered by the public
20	18		junior college that must be accepted for credit toward specific
21	19		course requirements at the general academic teaching institution.
22	20		(2) "Lower-division institution of higher education"
23	21		means a public junior college, public state college, or public
24	22		technical institute.
25	23		(3) "Public junior college" and "general academic
26	24		teaching institution" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
27	25		(b) Each general academic teaching institution shall:
28	26		(1) publish on the institution's Internet website for
29	27		use by prospective undergraduate students a detailed description
30	28		developed by the institution's faculty of the learning objectives,
31	29		content, and prior knowledge requirements for at least 12 courses
32	30		offered by the institution for which credit is frequently
33	31		transferred to the institution from lower-division institutions of
34	32		higher education;
35	33		(2) identify the public junior colleges from which the
36	34		general academic teaching institution regularly receives transfer
37	35		students; and
38	36		(3) establish, for at least five degree plans for
39	37		which credit is frequently transferred to the institution from
40	38		lower-division institutions of higher education, articulation
41	39		agreements with each public junior college from which the general
42	40		academic teaching institution has received an average of at least
43	41		five percent of the institution's transfer students in the three
44	42		preceding academic years.
45	43		(c) A general academic teaching institution's participation
46	44		in an articulation agreement under this section does not affect the
47	45		institution's admissions policies.
48	46		(d) In consultation with general academic teaching
49	47		institutions and public junior colleges, the Texas Higher Education
50	48		Coordinating Board, using the negotiated rulemaking procedures
51	49		under Chapter 2008, Government Code, shall adopt any rules the
52	50		coordinating board considers necessary for the administration of
53	51		this section.
54	52		SECTION 2. Section 61.0515, Education Code, is amended by
55	53		amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
56	54		follows:
57	55		(a) To earn a baccalaureate degree, a student may not be
58	56		required by a general academic teaching institution to complete
59	57		more than the minimum number of semester credit hours required for
60	58		the degree by the institution's board-recognized accrediting
61	59		agency [Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or its
62	60		successor] unless the institution determines that there is a
63	61		compelling academic reason for requiring completion of additional
64	62		semester credit hours for the degree.
65	63		(d) The board shall adopt any rules the board considers
66	64		necessary for the administration of this section. In adopting
67	65		rules under this subsection, the board shall use the negotiated
68	66		rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code.
69	67		SECTION 3. Section 61.05151, Education Code, is amended by
70	68		amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
71	69		follows:
72	70		(a) To earn an associate degree, a student may not be
73	71		required by an institution of higher education to complete more
74	72		than the minimum number of semester credit hours required for the
75	73		degree by the institution's board-recognized accrediting agency
76	74		[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or its successor]
77	75		unless the institution determines that there is a compelling
78	76		academic reason for requiring completion of additional semester
79	77		credit hours for the degree.
80	78		(d) The board shall adopt any rules the board considers
81	79		necessary for the administration of this section. In adopting
82	80		rules under this subsection, the board shall use the negotiated
83	81		rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code.
84	82		SECTION 4. Section 61.822, Education Code, is amended by
85	83		amending Subsection (a-1) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
86	84		follows:
87	85		(a-1) The board, with the assistance of advisory committees
88	86		composed of representatives of institutions of higher education,
89	87		shall develop a recommended core curriculum of at least 42 semester
90	88		credit hours, including a statement of the content, component
91	89		areas, and objectives of the core curriculum. Administrators of an
92	90		institution of higher education may serve as representatives of the
93	91		institution on any advisory committee under this section. At least
94	92		a majority of the members of any advisory committee named under this
95	93		section shall be faculty members of an institution of higher
96	94		education. An institution shall consult with the faculty of the
97	95		institution before nominating or recommending a person to the board
98	96		as the institution's representative on an advisory committee.
99	97		(f) In an effort to facilitate the transfer of major-related
100	98		coursework beyond the general education core curriculum, the board,
101	99		with the assistance of the advisory committees described by
102	100		Subsection (a-1), shall:
103	101		(1) develop a course-specific core curriculum for each
104	102		broad academic discipline within the general core curriculum; and
105	103		(2) identify those degree programs offered at
106	104		institutions of higher education to which the course-specific core
107	105		curriculum, if successfully completed by a student at another
108	106		institution of higher education, is fully transferable.
109	107		SECTION 5. Not later than May 31, 2017, each general
110	108		academic teaching institution shall publish on the institution's
111	109		Internet website the information required by Section 51.96852,
112	110		Education Code, as added by this Act, and establish articulation
113	111		agreements in accordance with that section.
114	112		SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
115	113		61.0515(a) and 61.05151(a), Education Code, apply beginning with
116	114		undergraduate students who initially enroll in an institution of
117	115		higher education for the 2017 fall semester. An undergraduate
118	116		student who initially enrolls in an institution of higher education
119	117		before that semester is covered by the law in effect before the
120	118		effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for
121	119		that purpose.
122	120		SECTION 7. Not later than May 31, 2017, the Texas Higher
123	121		Education Coordinating Board shall develop core curricula for broad
124	122		academic disciplines included within the general core curriculum
125	123		that conform to the requirements of Section 61.822, Education Code,
126	124		as amended by this Act.
127	125		SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
128	126		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
129	127		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
130	128		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
131	129		Act takes effect September 1, 2015.