| 3 | 2 | | |
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| 4 | 3 | | |
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| 5 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 6 | | relating to a study of costs associated with dual credit courses |
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| 8 | 7 | | offered at public high schools. |
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| 9 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 28.0091 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 11 | | Sec. 28.0091. STUDY OF COSTS OF DUAL CREDIT COURSES. |
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| 13 | 12 | | (a) The agency shall conduct an ongoing study to examine costs |
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| 14 | 13 | | associated with dual credit courses offered at public high schools. |
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| 15 | 14 | | In conducting the study, the agency shall: |
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| 16 | 15 | | (1) collect from school districts, public |
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| 17 | 16 | | institutions of higher education, and the Texas Higher Education |
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| 18 | 17 | | Coordinating Board data relating to costs associated with dual |
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| 19 | 18 | | credit courses, including: |
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| 20 | 19 | | (A) tuition and required fees; |
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| 21 | 20 | | (B) the cost of required textbooks or other |
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| 22 | 21 | | instructional materials; |
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| 23 | 22 | | (C) the cost of student transportation to and |
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| 24 | 23 | | from the location at which a dual credit course is provided; |
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| 25 | 24 | | (D) any fee collected to pay the instructor of a |
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| 26 | 25 | | dual credit course; |
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| 27 | 26 | | (E) the cost of any assessment instrument |
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| 28 | 27 | | administered under Section 51.333 as a prerequisite for enrollment |
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| 29 | 28 | | in a dual credit course; |
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| 30 | 29 | | (F) the cost of using a facility at which a dual |
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| 31 | 30 | | credit course is provided; and |
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| 32 | 31 | | (G) any other associated costs identified during |
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| 33 | 32 | | the study; |
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| 34 | 33 | | (2) identify the sources of funding for dual credit |
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| 35 | 34 | | courses and the amount funded by each source; and |
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| 36 | 35 | | (3) consult with relevant stakeholders, including the |
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| 37 | 36 | | Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the American Institutes |
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| 38 | 37 | | for Research, and the Texas Dual Credit Task Force. |
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| 39 | 38 | | (b) The agency may contract with any public or private |
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| 40 | 39 | | entity to conduct the study under this section. |
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| 41 | 40 | | (c) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, |
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| 42 | 41 | | the agency shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, |
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| 43 | 42 | | and the speaker of the house of representatives a report on the |
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| 44 | 43 | | results of the study under this section. The report must include a |
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| 45 | 44 | | comparison of: |
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| 46 | 45 | | (1) costs associated with dual credit courses offered |
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| 47 | 46 | | at public high schools generally and costs associated with dual |
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| 48 | 47 | | credit courses offered through a college and career readiness |
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| 49 | 48 | | school program, including: |
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| 50 | 49 | | (A) an early college high school program; |
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| 51 | 50 | | (B) the Pathways in Technology Early College High |
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| 52 | 51 | | School (P-TECH) program established under Section 29.553; |
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| 53 | 52 | | (C) an Industry Cluster Innovative Academy; and |
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| 54 | 53 | | (D) a Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, |
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| 55 | 54 | | and Mathematics (T-STEM) Center; and |
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| 56 | 55 | | (2) the cost associated with dual credit courses per |
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| 57 | 56 | | semester credit hour or the equivalent and the total cost |
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| 58 | 57 | | associated with those courses. |
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| 59 | 58 | | (d) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to |
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| 60 | 59 | | administer this section. |
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| 61 | 60 | | SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2020, the Texas |
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| 62 | 61 | | Education Agency shall submit the initial report required under |
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| 63 | 62 | | Section 28.0091, Education Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 64 | 63 | | SECTION 3. The Texas Education Agency is required to |
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| 65 | 64 | | implement a provision of this Act only if the legislature |
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| 66 | 65 | | appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If the |
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| 67 | 66 | | legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that |
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| 68 | 67 | | purpose, the Texas Education Agency may, but is not required to, |
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| 69 | 68 | | implement a provision of this Act using other appropriations |
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| 70 | 69 | | available for that purpose. |
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| 71 | 70 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 72 | 71 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 73 | 72 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 74 | 73 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 75 | 74 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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