Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1889 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Creighton, Buckingham S.B. No. 1889
	1	+	By: Creighton S.B. No. 1889
	2	+	(In the Senate - Filed March 12, 2021; March 26, 2021, read
	3	+	first time and referred to Committee on Higher Education;
	4	+	April 19, 2021, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
	5	+	Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 19, 2021,
	6	+	sent to printer.)
	7	+	Click here to see the committee vote
	8	+	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1889 By: Paxton
2	9
3	10
4	11		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	12		AN ACT
6	13		relating to measures to support public secondary and postsecondary
7	14		American history and civics education, including the satisfaction
8	15		of curriculum requirements in American History at institutions of
9	16		higher education and the establishment of the American History and
10	17		Civics Project.
11	18		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	19		SECTION 1. Section 51.302(b), Education Code, is amended to
13	20		read as follows:
14	21		(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or
15	22		university receiving state support or state aid from public funds
16	23		may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic
17	24		certificate to any person unless the person has credit for six
18	25		semester hours or its equivalent in American History. A student is
19	26		entitled to submit as much as three semester hours of credit or its
20	27		equivalent in Texas History in partial satisfaction of this
21	28		requirement. The college or university shall ensure that a student
22	29		may satisfy this requirement by successfully completing survey
23	30		courses that address the major themes of American history from the
24	31		nation's founding onward. The college or university may determine
25	32		that a student has satisfied this requirement in whole or part on
26	33		the basis of credit granted to the student by the college or
27	34		university for a substantially equivalent course completed at
28	35		another accredited college or university, or on the basis of the
29	36		student's successful completion of an advanced standing
30	37		examination administered on the conditions and under the
31	38		circumstances common for the college or university's advanced
32	39		standing examinations. The college or university may grant as much
33	40		as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent toward
34	41		satisfaction of this requirement for substantially equivalent work
35	42		completed by a student in the program of an approved senior R.O.T.C.
36	43		unit.
37	44		SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
38	45		amended by adding Section 61.0519 to read as follows:
39	46		Sec. 61.0519. AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS PROJECT. (a) In
40	47		this section, "project" means the American History and Civics
41	48		Project.
42	49		(b) The board, in consultation with institutions of higher
43	50		education, shall establish the American History and Civics Project
44	51		to:
45	52		(1) strengthen American history and civics education
46	53		at public high schools and institutions of higher education; and
47	54		(2) encourage the development and effective use of
48	55		high-quality digital content and professional development
49	56		materials for use in American history and civics education at
50	57		public high schools and institutions of higher education.
51	58		(c) The board shall convene an expert commission of scholars
52	59		and educators to assist in the creation of the project.
53	60		(d) Using funds appropriated or otherwise available for
54	61		purposes of the project, the board shall award grants to
55	62		individuals with relevant subject matter expertise, school
56	63		districts, or institutions of higher education to recommend and
57	64		develop digital content and professional development materials for
58	65		use in American history and civics education at public high schools
59	66		and institutions of higher education.
60	67		(e) Digital content recommended or developed using a grant
61	68		awarded under Subsection (d) may include interactive and
62	69		audiovisual resources, assignments, and model syllabuses that:
63	70		(1) address the major themes of American history from
64	71		the nation's founding onward; and
65	72		(2) may be used in the delivery of:
66	73		(A) survey courses offered by institutions of
67	74		higher education;
68	75		(B) dual credit or dual enrollment courses
69	76		offered by public high schools or institutions of higher education;
70	77		or
71	78		(C) public high school courses for which students
72	79		may receive credit that satisfies all or part of the requirements
73	80		under Section 51.302(b).
74	81		(f) To encourage the effective use of digital content
75	82		recommended or developed using a grant awarded under Subsection
76	83		(d), the board shall, using funds appropriated or otherwise
77	84		available for purposes of the project, support the establishment of
78	85		a professional development program for individuals who teach one or
79	86		more American history and civics courses, including a dual credit
80	87		or dual enrollment course, at a public high school or institution of
81	88		higher education. The professional development program may include
82	89		an annual statewide conference.
83	90		(g) The board shall include in the state repository of open
84	91		educational resources developed under Section 61.0670 any digital
85	92		content or professional development materials developed using a
86	93		grant awarded under Subsection (d).
87	94		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
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