Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB13 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R31548 KJE-D
2	2	By: Perry, et al. S.B. No. 13
3	3	(Aycock, Cyrier)
4	4	Substitute the following for S.B. No. 13: No.
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to measures to support public school student academic
10	10	achievement and high school, college, and career preparation,
11	11	including measures to improve and support dual credit courses, the
12	12	development of public outreach materials, and the development of
13	13	postsecondary education and career counseling academies.
14	14	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
15	15	SECTION 1. Section 28.009(b), Education Code, is amended to
16	16	read as follows:
17	17	(b) The agency shall coordinate with the Texas Higher
18	18	Education Coordinating Board as necessary in administering this
19	19	section. The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary concerning
20	20	the duties under this section of a school district. The Texas
21	21	Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt rules as necessary
22	22	concerning the duties under this section of a public institution of
23	23	higher education. A rule may not limit the number of dual credit
24	24	courses or hours in which a student may enroll while in high school
25	25	or limit the number of dual credit courses or hours in which a
26	26	student may enroll each semester or academic year.
27	27	SECTION 2. (a) Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code,
28	28	is amended by adding Section 28.015 to read as follows:
29	29	Sec. 28.015. PUBLIC OUTREACH MATERIALS TO PROMOTE
30	30	CURRICULUM CHANGE AWARENESS. (a) The agency shall develop uniform
31	31	public outreach materials that explain the importance and outline
32	32	the details of public school curriculum changes under Chapter 211
33	33	(H.B. 5), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, and
34	34	subsequent associated decisions by the State Board of Education.
35	35	The agency shall make the materials available to school districts.
36	36	(b) The materials developed under this section must:
37	37	(1) be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese;
38	38	(2) be in a form that would allow school districts to
39	39	mail the information to students and parents; and
40	40	(3) include an explanation of:
41	41	(A) the basic career and college readiness
42	42	components of each endorsement under Section 28.025(c-1);
43	43	(B) the curriculum requirements to gain
44	44	automatic college admission under Section 51.803; and
45	45	(C) applicable course, graduation plan, and
46	46	endorsement requirements for financial aid authorized under Title
47	47	3, including curriculum requirements for:
48	48	(i) the TEXAS grant as provided under
49	49	Subchapter M, Chapter 56;
50	50	(ii) the Texas Educational Opportunity
51	51	Grant Program as provided under Subchapter P, Chapter 56; and
52	52	(iii) the Texas B-On-time loan program as
53	53	provided under Subchapter Q, Chapter 56.
54	54	(c) This section expires September 1, 2018.
55	55	(b) The Texas Education Agency shall develop the materials
56	56	described under Section 28.015, Education Code, as added by this
57	57	section, no later than December 1, 2015.
58	58	SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
59	59	amended by adding Section 28.016 to read as follows:
60	60	Sec. 28.016. INSTRUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND
61	61	CAREER PREPARATION. (a) Each school district shall provide
62	62	instruction to students in grade seven or eight in preparing for
63	63	high school, college, and a career.
64	64	(b) The instruction must include information regarding:
65	65	(1) the creation of a high school personal graduation
66	66	plan under Section 28.02121;
67	67	(2) the distinguished level of achievement described
68	68	by Section 28.025(b-15);
69	69	(3) each endorsement described by Section
70	70	28.025(c-1);
71	71	(4) college readiness standards; and
72	72	(5) potential career choices and the education needed
73	73	to enter those careers.
74	74	(c) A school district may:
75	75	(1) provide the instruction as part of an existing
76	76	course in the required curriculum;
77	77	(2) provide the instruction as part of an existing
78	78	career and technology course designated by the State Board of
79	79	Education as appropriate for that purpose; or
80	80	(3) establish a new elective course through which to
81	81	provide the instruction.
82	82	(d) Each school district shall ensure that at least once in
83	83	grade seven or eight each student receives the instruction under
84	84	this section.
85	85	SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Education Code, is
86	86	amended by adding Section 33.009 to read as follows:
87	87	Sec. 33.009. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND CAREER COUNSELING
88	88	ACADEMIES. (a) In this section, "center" means the Center for
89	89	Teaching and Learning at The University of Texas at Austin.
90	90	(b) The center shall develop and make available
91	91	postsecondary education and career counseling academies for school
92	92	counselors and other postsecondary advisors employed by a school
93	93	district at a middle school, junior high school, or high school.
94	94	(c) In developing academies under this section, the center
95	95	shall solicit input from the agency, school counselors, the Texas
96	96	Workforce Commission, institutions of higher education, and
97	97	business, community, and school leaders.
98	98	(d) An academy developed under this section must provide
99	99	counselors and other postsecondary advisors with knowledge and
100	100	skills to provide counseling to students regarding postsecondary
101	101	success and productive career planning and must include information
102	102	relating to:
103	103	(1) each endorsement described by Section
104	104	28.025(c-1), including:
105	105	(A) the course requirements for each
106	106	endorsement; and
107	107	(B) the postsecondary educational and career
108	108	opportunities associated with each endorsement;
109	109	(2) available methods for a student to earn credit for
110	110	a course not offered at the school in which the student is enrolled,
111	111	including enrollment in an electronic course provided through the
112	112	state virtual school network under Chapter 30A;
113	113	(3) general academic performance requirements for
114	114	admission to an institution of higher education, including the
115	115	requirements for automatic admission to a general academic teaching
116	116	institution under Section 51.803;
117	117	(4) regional workforce needs, including information
118	118	about the required education and the average wage or salary for
119	119	careers that meet those workforce needs; and
120	120	(5) effective strategies for engaging students and
121	121	parents in planning for postsecondary education and potential
122	122	careers, including participation in mentorships and business
123	123	partnerships.
124	124	(e) The center shall develop an online instructional
125	125	program that school districts may use in providing the instruction
126	126	in high school, college, and career preparation required by Section
127	127	28.016. The program must be structured for use as part of an
128	128	existing course.
129	129	(f) The center may access the P-20/Workforce Data
130	130	Repository established under Section 1.005(j-1) in developing
131	131	training, instructional programs, and technological tools under
132	132	this section and conducting related evaluations. The center may be
133	133	provided access to the data repository through collaboration with
134	134	the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or a center for
135	135	education research established under Section 1.005. The agency and
136	136	the coordinating board may not condition the center's access to the
137	137	data repository on agency or board review of the proposed training,
138	138	instructional programs, technological tools, or related
139	139	evaluations developed by the center.
140	140	(g) A teacher of a course described by Section 28.016(c)(2)
141	141	or (3) may attend an academy developed under this section.
142	142	(h) From funds appropriated for that purpose, a school
143	143	counselor who attends the academy under this section is entitled to
144	144	receive a stipend in the amount determined by the center. If funds
145	145	are available after all eligible school counselors have received a
146	146	stipend under this subsection, the center shall pay a stipend in the
147	147	amount determined by the center to a teacher who attends the academy
148	148	under this section. A stipend received under this subsection is not
149	149	considered in determining whether a district is paying the school
150	150	counselor or teacher the minimum monthly salary under Section
151	151	21.402.
152	152	(i) From available funds appropriated for purposes of this
153	153	section, the center may provide to school counselors and other
154	154	educators curricula, instructional materials, and technological
155	155	tools relating to postsecondary education and career counseling.
156	156	(j) The center shall comply with any applicable provision of
157	157	the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C.
158	158	Section 1232g) in performing its duties or exercising its authority
159	159	under this section.
160	160	SECTION 5. Section 130.008, Education Code, is amended by
161	161	adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows:
162	162	(g) A course offered for joint high school and junior
163	163	college credit under this section must be taught by a qualified
164	164	instructor approved or selected by the public junior college. For
165	165	purposes of this subsection, an instructor is qualified if the
166	166	instructor holds:
167	167	(1) a doctoral or master's degree in the discipline
168	168	that is the subject of the course; or
169	169	(2) a master's degree in another discipline with a
170	170	concentration that required completion of a minimum of 18 graduate
171	171	semester hours in the discipline that is the subject of the course.
172	172	(h) Not later than the 60th day after receipt, a public
173	173	junior college shall approve or reject an application for approval
174	174	to teach a course at a high school that is submitted by an
175	175	instructor employed by the school district, organization, or other
176	176	person that operates the high school with which the junior college
177	177	entered into an agreement under this section to offer the course.
178	178	SECTION 6. Section 303.003(b-2), Labor Code, is amended to
179	179	read as follows:
180	180	(b-2) In addition to the purposes described by Subsections
181	181	(b) and (b-1), in each state fiscal biennium, an amount of money
182	182	from the skills development fund not to exceed five percent of the
183	183	amount of general revenue appropriated to the skills development
184	184	fund for that biennium may be used as provided by this subsection.
185	185	Funds available to the commission from other sources may also be
186	186	used as provided by this subsection. Funds may be awarded under
187	187	this subsection to a lower-division institution of higher education
188	188	to be used under an agreement with a school district, or to a school
189	189	district to be used under an agreement with a lower-division
190	190	institution of higher education, to support courses offered for
191	191	joint high school and college-level credit or offered under a
192	192	college credit career or technical education program that leads to
193	193	an industry-recognized license, credential, or certificate.
194	194	Appropriate uses of funds awarded under this subsection include
195	195	purchasing or repairing necessary equipment for a course and
196	196	developing a course curriculum. A course or program supported
197	197	under this subsection must:
198	198	(1) have the endorsement of, or a letter of support
199	199	from, at least one employer in this state; and
200	200	(2) be targeted to address the needs of high-demand
201	201	fields or occupations, as identified by the applicable local
202	202	workforce development board.
203	203	SECTION 7. Section 28.016, Education Code, as added by this
204	204	Act, applies beginning with the 2015-2016 school year.
205	205	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
206	206	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
207	207	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
208	208	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
209	209	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.