| 6 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 5 | | relating to the admission of undergraduate students with |
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| 8 | 6 | | nontraditional secondary education to public institutions of |
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| 9 | 7 | | higher education. |
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| 10 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 51.9241, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 12 | 10 | | amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as |
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| 13 | 11 | | follows: |
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| 14 | 12 | | (b) Because the State of Texas considers successful |
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| 15 | 13 | | completion of a nontraditional secondary education to be equivalent |
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| 16 | 14 | | to graduation from a public high school, an institution of higher |
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| 17 | 15 | | education must treat an applicant for admission to the institution |
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| 18 | 16 | | as an undergraduate student who presents evidence that the person |
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| 19 | 17 | | has successfully completed a nontraditional secondary education |
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| 20 | 18 | | according to the same general standards, including specific |
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| 21 | 19 | | standardized testing score requirements, as other applicants for |
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| 22 | 20 | | undergraduate admission who have graduated from a public high |
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| 23 | 21 | | school. |
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| 24 | 22 | | (d) If an institution of higher education in its |
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| 25 | 23 | | undergraduate admission review process sorts applicants by high |
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| 26 | 24 | | school graduating class rank, the institution shall place any |
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| 27 | 25 | | applicant who presents evidence that the applicant has successfully |
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| 28 | 26 | | completed a nontraditional secondary education that does not |
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| 29 | 27 | | include a high school graduating class ranking at the average high |
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| 30 | 28 | | school graduating class rank of undergraduate applicants to the |
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| 31 | 29 | | institution who have equivalent standardized testing scores as the |
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| 32 | 30 | | applicant. |
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| 33 | 31 | | SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply |
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| 34 | 32 | | beginning with admissions to a public institution of higher |
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| 35 | 33 | | education for the 2016 fall semester. Admissions to a public |
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| 36 | 34 | | institution of higher education for a term or semester before the |
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| 37 | 35 | | 2016 fall semester are governed by the law in effect immediately |
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| 38 | 36 | | before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is |
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| 39 | 37 | | continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 40 | 38 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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| 39 | + | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 40 | + | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 41 | + | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1543 passed the Senate on |
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| 42 | + | April 22, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. |
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| 43 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 44 | + | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 45 | + | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1543 passed the House on |
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| 46 | + | May 27, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 0, two |
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| 47 | + | present not voting. |
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| 48 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 49 | + | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 50 | + | Approved: |
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| 51 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 52 | + | Date |
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| 53 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 54 | + | Governor |
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