By: Howard H.B. No. 3768
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a program to assist students in completing
undergraduate certificates and degrees at certain institutions of
higher education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Title 3, Subtitle A, Education Code, is amended
by adding Chapter 51B to read as follows:
CHAPTER 51B. TEXAS GUIDED PATHWAYS PROGRAM
Sec. 51B.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Board" means the board of regents of a university
system or independent institution.
(2) "Commissioner" means the Texas Higher Education
Commissioner.
(3) "Institution of higher education" means any
public, state, and technical four-year college or university in the
state.
(4) "Lower-division institution" means a public
junior college, public state college, or public technical
institute.
(5) "Program" means the Texas Guided Pathways Program
described by this chapter.
(6) "Public senior college or university" means any
college or university designated as a general academic institution
as defined in statute or as created and so classified, expressly or
impliedly, by law.
(7) "Recommended course sequence" means a curricular
pathway designed to enable a student to obtain a degree or
certificate in a chosen field of study in a timely manner, including
completion of specific courses.
(8) "Successfully completed" means that a student has
met all of the necessary requirements for completing a course
offered by an institution and has received a grade for the course of
at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or an equivalent grade or determination
of mastery.
(9) "Transfer compact" means an agreement between two
or more institutions to facilitate the efficient transfer of
courses and students.
Sec. 51B.002. PROGRAM PURPOSE AND GOALS. (a) The Texas
Guided Pathways Program is created for public institutions of
higher education to inform, empower, and support students by
providing clear and efficient pathways to completion of
undergraduate certificates and degrees, including transparent and
easily-accessible recommended higher education course sequences
and transfer compacts.
(b) The goals of the program are to:
(1) provide recommended course sequences for all
undergraduate degrees and certificates offered by public
institutions of higher education;
(2) increase efficiencies in credit transferability
between lower-division institutions of higher education and public
senior colleges and universities;
(3) make useful electronic course planning
information available to students, empowering students to make
well-informed choices;
(4) decrease student costs by minimizing the risks of
pursuing courses that fail to count towards degree and certificate
requirements; and
(5) streamline student pathways to completion of
certificates and degrees, in line with state goals, to increase
educational attainment across the state.
Sec. 51B.003. RECOMMENDED COURSE SEQUENCES. (a) Not later
than March 15 of each year, each institution of higher education
shall:
(1) develop recommended course sequences for each
undergraduate degree and certificate program offered by the
institution that would enable full-time students to complete 60
hour programs within four semesters, and 120 hour programs within
eight semesters;
(2) submit to the commissioner the recommended course
sequences for each undergraduate degree and certificate program, in
an electronic format specified by the commissioner;
(3) for institutions that do not use the Texas Common
Course Numbering System (TCCN), provide data, in an electronic
format specified by the commissioner, indicating transfer
equivalencies for institutions' compatible courses with TCCN
courses, where compatible courses are offered by the institution
and are included in recommended course sequences; and
(4) publish the recommended course sequences and
transfer equivalencies on the institution's website, accessible
within three clicks from the institution's home page.
(b) Not later than March 15 of each year, each
lower-division institution shall:
(1) inform students about recommended course
sequences as a tool to aid in course selection;
(2) incorporate recommended course sequences into
advising;
(3) inform all students during orientation of the the
importance of selecting an intended major or field of study before,
or as soon as possible after, enrollment in an institution of higher
education, and potential consequences and costs of delaying that
decision, particularly if the student intends to transfer between
postsecondary educational institutions;
(4) provide links to a searchable, web-based platform
identified by the commissioner that enables students to compare
institutions' recommended course sequences; and
(5) ensure that the institution's own recommended
course sequences, or their institutional equivalents if the
institution's course offerings have been updated, and transfer
equivalencies will be honored by the institution for not less than
four years from the beginning of the academic year following
initial publication date of the recommended course sequence or
transfer equivalencies, subject to applicable institutional
policies, accreditation requirements, and state and federal law.
(c) Not later than March 15 of each year, each public senior
college or university shall:
(1) inform students about recommended course
sequences as a tool to aid in course selection;
(2) incorporate recommended course sequences into
advising;
(3) inform all students during orientation of the
importance of selecting an intended major or field of study before,
or as soon as possible after enrollment in an institution of higher
education, and potential consequences and costs of delaying that
decision, particularly if the student intends to transfer between
postsecondary educational institutions;
(4) provide links to a searchable, web-based platform
identified by the commissioner that enables students to compare
institutions' recommended course sequences; and
(5) ensure that the institution's own recommended
course sequences, or their institutional equivalents if the
institution's course offerings have been updated, and transfer
equivalencies will be honored by the institution for not less than
four years from the beginning of the academic year following
initial publication date of the recommended course sequence or
transfer equivalencies, subject to applicable institutional
policies, accreditation requirements, and state and federal law.
(d) An institution of higher education may update or amend
recommended course sequences for certificates or degree programs,
with prior notification to the commissioner, subject to applicable
institutional policies, accreditation requirements, and state and
federal law.
Sec. 51B.004. POWERS AND DUTIES RELATED TO COURSE
SEQUENCES. (a) The commissioner shall:
(1) work in consultation with institutions of higher
education to develop rules for the electronic submission of data by
institutions about recommended course sequences and transfer
equivalencies for institutions' course numbers with corresponding
Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCN) courses;
(2) work with the Texas OnCourse initiative of The
University of Texas at Austin and its partner institutions to
establish a singular, searchable, web-based platform that enables
students to compare institutions' recommended course sequences and
that enables students to query whether specific lower-division TCCN
courses offered by an institution of higher education would be
accepted by another institution to meet state core curriculum
requirements and would apply to institutions' recommended course
sequences for specific undergraduate certificates or degree
programs;
(3) link to the web-based platform from the ApplyTexas
webpage or similar webpage; and
(4) not later than November 1 of each even-numbered
year, provide a written report on the program to the members of the
Texas Legislature that includes an analysis of the alignment of
courses that have been taken and successfully completed by students
with institutions' recommended course sequences.
(b) The commissioner may:
(1) adopt rules for implementation of the program, in
consultation with institutions of higher education;
(2) accept grants or gifts for the purpose of
supporting the program; and
(3) utilize technology platforms provided by the
National Student Clearinghouse, or other approved electronic data
sharing and exchange platforms that meet nationally accepted
standards, conventions, and practices, to collect and store data
regarding institutions' recommended course sequences or to provide
a web-based application that enables students to compare
institutions' recommended course sequences.
Sec. 51B.005. TRANSFER COMPACTS. (a) The commissioner
shall:
(1) encourage institutions of higher education, other
than research universities, to develop and participate in regional
transfer compacts, in order to coordinate regional transfers of
courses and students among institutions, increase clarity of
program requirements, reduce costs for students and for the state,
and reduce excess courses that do not contribute to completion of
degrees or certificates;
(2) work with the Texas OnCourse initiative of The
University of Texas at Austin and its partner institutions to
develop a singular, searchable, web-based platform that provides
information to students about regional transfer compacts across the
state, including links to regional transfer agreements that each
institution participates in; and
(3) not later than November 1 of each even-numbered
year, provide a written report to the members of the Texas
Legislature that includes an analysis of the impact of regional
transfer compacts and research university transfer compacts on
students' efficient progress towards completion of certificates
and degree programs.
(b) All institutions other than research universities shall
participate in the development of regional transfer compacts that
facilitate efficient transfers of course credits and students among
regional institutions, including agreements regarding processes
for faculty to develop cross-walks between courses and recommended
course sequences from participating institutions, and processes
for updating cross-walks and institutions' recommended course
sequences as program requirements change.
(c) Research universities shall develop and participate in
an agreement with at least one lower-division institution to
establish research university transfer compacts that provide a
guaranteed transfer into the research university for Texas resident
students upon successful completion of at least 15 semester credit
hours at the lower-division institution and other requirements
specified by the research university, which may include grade point
averages and successful completion of specific courses or course
sequences. Research university transfer compacts must enable
eligible full-time students to complete at least one 120 hour
undergraduate degree program at the research university within
eight semesters, including students' full-time enrollment at the
lower-division institution prior to the students' transfer,
provided that students follow the university's recommended course
sequence for the program.
(d) Not later than March 15 of each year, each institution
of higher education shall submit to the commissioner a list of all
transfer compacts in which the institution participates, and a
website hyperlink to or copy of applicable inter-institutional
agreements, in an electronic form to be specified by the
commissioner.
Sec. 51B.006. The commissioner may, in consultation with
institutions of higher education, adopt rules for implementation of
the program.
SECTION 2. Not later than 30 days of the effective date of
this Act, the Commissioner of Higher Education shall notify boards
and presidents of each Texas institution of higher education of the
requirement to develop recommended course sequences for each
undergraduate degree and certificate program offered at their
institutions.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2017.