Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3486 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R24315 CXP-F
2	2	By: Turner H.B. No. 3486
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 3486:
4	4	By: Kuempel C.S.H.B. No. 3486
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to higher education curricula, including course
10	10	enrollment and credit and degree and certificate programs.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 29.908(b), Education Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	(b) The program must:
15	15	(1) provide for a course of study that enables a
16	16	participating student to combine high school courses and
17	17	college-level courses during grade levels 9 through 12;
18	18	(2) allow a participating student to complete high
19	19	school and enroll in a program at an institution of higher education
20	20	that will enable the student to, on or before the fifth anniversary
21	21	of the date of the student's first day of high school, receive a
22	22	high school diploma and either:
23	23	(A) an applied associate degree, as defined by
24	24	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule; or
25	25	(B) an academic associate degree, as defined by
26	26	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule, with a completed
27	27	field of study curriculum developed under Section 61.823 that is
28	28	transferable [at least 60 semester credit hours] toward a
29	29	baccalaureate degree at one or more general academic teaching
30	30	institutions, as defined by Section 61.003;
31	31	(3) include articulation agreements with colleges,
32	32	universities, and technical schools in this state to provide a
33	33	participating student access to postsecondary educational and
34	34	training opportunities at a college, university, or technical
35	35	school; and
36	36	(4) provide a participating student flexibility in
37	37	class scheduling and academic mentoring.
38	38	SECTION 2. Section 51.4033, Education Code, is amended to
39	39	read as follows:
40	40	Sec. 51.4033. REPORT OF NONTRANSFERABLE CREDIT. (a) Not
41	41	later than May [March] 1 of each year and in the form prescribed by
42	42	the coordinating board, each general academic teaching institution
43	43	shall provide to the coordinating board and the legislature a
44	44	report describing any courses in the Lower-Division Academic Course
45	45	Guide Manual or its successor adopted by the coordinating board for
46	46	which a student who transfers to the institution from another
47	47	institution of higher education is not granted:
48	48	(1) academic credit at the receiving institution; or
49	49	(2) if the student has declared a major and has not
50	50	changed majors, academic credit toward the student's major at the
51	51	receiving institution.
52	52	(b) A report required by this section must indicate:
53	53	(1) the course name and type;
54	54	(2) which institution of higher education provided
55	55	academic credit for the course; and
56	56	(3) the reason why the receiving institution did not
57	57	grant academic credit for the course as described by Subsection
58	58	(a), including whether the institution complied with the dispute
59	59	resolution process under Section 61.826.
60	60	SECTION 3. Section 51.4034(a), Education Code, is amended
61	61	to read as follows:
62	62	(a) Not later than May [March] 1 of each year and in the form
63	63	prescribed by the coordinating board, each public junior college
64	64	shall provide to the coordinating board and the legislature a
65	65	report on courses taken by students who, during the preceding
66	66	academic year, transferred to a general academic teaching
67	67	institution or earned an associate degree at the college.
68	68	SECTION 4. Sections 61.003(11) and (12), Education Code,
69	69	are amended to read as follows:
70	70	(11) "Degree program" means any grouping of subject
71	71	matter courses which, when satisfactorily completed by a student,
72	72	will entitle the student [him] to:
73	73	(A) a degree from a public senior college or
74	74	university or a medical or dental unit; or
75	75	(B) an academic associate degree, as defined by
76	76	board rule, or baccalaureate degree from a public junior college.
77	77	(12) "Certificate program" means a grouping of
78	78	subject-matter courses which, when satisfactorily completed by a
79	79	student, will entitle the student [him] to:
80	80	(A) a certificate;
81	81	(B) an [,] associate degree, other than an
82	82	academic associate degree, as defined by board rule, from a
83	83	technical institute or junior college; or
84	84	(C) [, or] documentary evidence, other than a
85	85	degree, of completion of a course of study at the postsecondary
86	86	level.
87	87	SECTION 5. Sections 61.822(b) and (c), Education Code, are
88	88	amended to read as follows:
89	89	(b) Each institution of higher education shall adopt a core
90	90	curriculum of no less than 42 semester credit hours, including
91	91	specific courses comprising the curriculum. The core curriculum
92	92	shall be consistent with the common course numbering system
93	93	approved by the board and with the statement, recommendations, and
94	94	rules issued by the board. An institution may have a core
95	95	curriculum of other than 42 semester credit hours only if approved
96	96	by the board. The board by rule may approve a core curriculum of
97	97	fewer than 42 semester credit hours for an associate degree program
98	98	if the board determines that the approval would facilitate the
99	99	award of a degree or transfer of credit consistent with this
100	100	subchapter.
101	101	(c) If a student successfully completes the [42-hour] core
102	102	curriculum at an institution of higher education, that block of
103	103	courses may be transferred to any other institution of higher
104	104	education and must be substituted for the receiving institution's
105	105	core curriculum. A student shall receive academic credit for each
106	106	of the courses transferred and may not be required to take
107	107	additional core curriculum courses at the receiving institution
108	108	unless the board has approved a larger core curriculum at the
109	109	institution.
110	110	SECTION 6. Section 61.823, Education Code, is amended by
111	111	adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsection (b) to read as
112	112	follows:
113	113	(a-1) The board by rule may authorize a general academic
114	114	teaching institution to adopt, for each field of study curriculum
115	115	developed by the board for which the institution offers a degree
116	116	program, a set of courses specific to that field of study, not to
117	117	exceed a total of six semester credit hours or the equivalent, that
118	118	must be completed as part of the field of study curriculum for that
119	119	institution. Each general academic teaching institution that
120	120	adopts a set of courses for a field of study curriculum under this
121	121	subsection shall post on the institution's Internet website in a
122	122	manner easily accessible to students the set of courses with the
123	123	associated course numbers under the common course numbering system.
124	124	(b) If a student successfully completes a field of study
125	125	curriculum developed by the board, that block of courses may be
126	126	transferred to a general academic teaching institution and, subject
127	127	to completion of the set of courses adopted by the institution for
128	128	that field of study under Subsection (a-1), must be substituted for
129	129	that institution's lower division requirements for the degree
130	130	program for the field of study into which the student transfers, and
131	131	the student shall receive full academic credit toward the degree
132	132	program for the block of courses transferred.
133	133	SECTION 7. Sections 61.826(c), (d), and (e), Education
134	134	Code, are amended to read as follows:
135	135	(c) If an institution of higher education proposes to deny
136	136	the application toward a student's degree requirements of [does not
137	137	accept] course credit earned by the [a] student at another
138	138	institution of higher education in the other institution's core
139	139	curriculum or in a field of study curriculum developed by the board
140	140	under Section 61.823, that institution must:
141	141	(1) [shall] give written notice to the student and the
142	142	other institution of that institution's intent to deny [that] the
143	143	application [transfer] of the course credit to the student's degree
144	144	requirements and the reasons for the proposed denial;
145	145	(2) [is denied. The two institutions and the student
146	146	shall] attempt to resolve the application [transfer] of the course
147	147	credit to the student's degree requirements with the other
148	148	institution and the student in accordance with board rules;
149	149	(3) resolve the dispute not later than the 45th day
150	150	after the date on which the student enrolls in that institution; and
151	151	(4) if [. If] the [transfer] dispute is not resolved
152	152	to the satisfaction of the student or the institution at which the
153	153	credit was earned, [within 45 days after the date the student
154	154	received written notice of the denial, the institution that denies
155	155	the transfer of the course credit shall] notify the commissioner of
156	156	higher education of its denial to apply the course credit to the
157	157	student's degree requirements and the reasons for the denial.
158	158	(d) Not later than the 20th business day after the date the
159	159	commissioner of higher education receives notice of a dispute
160	160	concerning the application of course credit to a student's degree
161	161	requirements under Subsection (c)(4), the [The] commissioner [of
162	162	higher education] or the commissioner's designee shall make the
163	163	final determination about the [a] dispute [concerning the transfer
164	164	of course credit] and give written notice of the determination to
165	165	the involved student and institutions. If the commissioner or the
166	166	commissioner's designee determines that the institution may not
167	167	deny the application of course credit described by Subsection (c)
168	168	to the student's degree requirements, the institution shall apply
169	169	that course credit toward the student's degree requirements. A
170	170	determination by the commissioner or the commissioner's designee
171	171	under this subsection is final and may not be appealed.
172	172	(e) The board shall:
173	173	(1) collect data on the types of transfer disputes
174	174	that are reported and the disposition of each case that is
175	175	considered by the commissioner of higher education or the
176	176	commissioner's designee; and
177	177	(2) post on the board's Internet website a list of each
178	178	case that is considered by the commissioner of higher education or
179	179	the commissioner's designee under this section, including the
180	180	disposition of the case.
181	181	SECTION 8. Section 61.827(b), Education Code, is amended to
182	182	read as follows:
183	183	(b) In adopting rules regarding the recommended core
184	184	curriculum developed under Section 61.822, the board shall appoint
185	185	a committee to advise the board [use the negotiated rulemaking
186	186	procedures] under Section 2001.031 [Chapter 2008], Government
187	187	Code.
188	188	SECTION 9. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
189	189	amended by adding Section 61.834 to read as follows:
190	190	Sec. 61.834. TEXAS DIRECT ASSOCIATE DEGREE. An institution
191	191	of higher education shall award a student a "Texas Direct"
192	192	associate degree and include an appropriate notation on the
193	193	student's transcript if the student completes a field of study
194	194	curriculum developed by the board under Section 61.823 and:
195	195	(1) the institution's core curriculum; or
196	196	(2) an abbreviated core curriculum related to a
197	197	specific approved field of study curriculum transferable to one or
198	198	more general academic teaching institutions.
199	199	SECTION 10. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
200	200	academic year.
201	201	SECTION 11. This Act takes effect immediately if it
202	202	receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
203	203	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
204	204	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
205	205	effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023.