By: Perry, et al. S.B. No. 1543
(Frank)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the admission of undergraduate students with
nontraditional secondary education to public institutions of
higher education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 51.9241, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
follows:
(b) Because the State of Texas considers successful
completion of a nontraditional secondary education to be equivalent
to graduation from a public high school, an institution of higher
education must treat an applicant for admission to the institution
as an undergraduate student who presents evidence that the person
has successfully completed a nontraditional secondary education
according to the same general standards, including specific
standardized testing score requirements, as other applicants for
undergraduate admission who have graduated from a public high
school.
(d) If an institution of higher education in its
undergraduate admission review process sorts applicants by high
school graduating class rank, the institution shall place any
applicant who presents evidence that the applicant has successfully
completed a nontraditional secondary education that does not
include a high school graduating class ranking at the average high
school graduating class rank of undergraduate applicants to the
institution who have equivalent standardized testing scores as the
applicant.
SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply
beginning with admissions to a public institution of higher
education for the 2016 fall semester. Admissions to a public
institution of higher education for a term or semester before the
2016 fall semester 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 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.