Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1887 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	S.B. No. 1887
2	2
3	3
4	4	AN ACT
5	5	relating to the requirements for the early college education
6	6	program and the transfer of course credit among public institutions
7	7	of higher education.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 29.908(b), Education Code, is amended to
10	10	read as follows:
11	11	(b) The program must:
12	12	(1) provide for a course of study that enables a
13	13	participating student to combine high school courses and
14	14	college-level courses during grade levels 9 through 12;
15	15	(2) allow a participating student to complete high
16	16	school and enroll in a program at an institution of higher education
17	17	that will enable the student to, on or before the fifth anniversary
18	18	of the date of the student's first day of high school, receive a
19	19	high school diploma and either:
20	20	(A) an applied associate degree, as defined by
21	21	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule; or
22	22	(B) an academic associate degree, as defined by
23	23	Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board rule, with a completed
24	24	field of study curriculum developed under Section 61.823 that is
25	25	transferable [at least 60 semester credit hours] toward a
26	26	baccalaureate degree at one or more general academic teaching
27	27	institutions, as defined by Section 61.003;
28	28	(3) include articulation agreements with colleges,
29	29	universities, and technical schools in this state to provide a
30	30	participating student access to postsecondary educational and
31	31	training opportunities at a college, university, or technical
32	32	school; and
33	33	(4) provide a participating student flexibility in
34	34	class scheduling and academic mentoring.
35	35	SECTION 2. Section 51.4033, Education Code, is amended to
36	36	read as follows:
37	37	Sec. 51.4033. REPORT OF NONTRANSFERABLE CREDIT. (a) Not
38	38	later than May [March] 1 of each year and in the form prescribed by
39	39	the coordinating board, each general academic teaching institution
40	40	shall provide to the coordinating board and the legislature a
41	41	report describing any courses in the Lower-Division Academic Course
42	42	Guide Manual or its successor adopted by the coordinating board for
43	43	which a student who transfers to the institution from another
44	44	institution of higher education is not granted:
45	45	(1) academic credit at the receiving institution; or
46	46	(2) if the student has declared a major and has not
47	47	changed majors, academic credit toward the student's major at the
48	48	receiving institution.
49	49	(b) A report required by this section must indicate:
50	50	(1) the course name and type;
51	51	(2) which institution of higher education provided
52	52	academic credit for the course; and
53	53	(3) the reason why the receiving institution did not
54	54	grant academic credit for the course as described by Subsection
55	55	(a), including whether the institution complied with the dispute
56	56	resolution process under Section 61.826.
57	57	SECTION 3. Section 51.4034(a), Education Code, is amended
58	58	to read as follows:
59	59	(a) Not later than May [March] 1 of each year and in the form
60	60	prescribed by the coordinating board, each public junior college
61	61	shall provide to the coordinating board and the legislature a
62	62	report on courses taken by students who, during the preceding
63	63	academic year, transferred to a general academic teaching
64	64	institution or earned an associate degree at the college.
65	65	SECTION 4. Sections 61.003(11) and (12), Education Code,
66	66	are amended to read as follows:
67	67	(11) "Degree program" means any grouping of subject
68	68	matter courses which, when satisfactorily completed by a student,
69	69	will entitle the student [him] to:
70	70	(A) a degree from a public senior college or
71	71	university or a medical or dental unit; or
72	72	(B) an academic associate degree, as defined by
73	73	board rule, or baccalaureate degree from a public junior college.
74	74	(12) "Certificate program" means a grouping of
75	75	subject-matter courses which, when satisfactorily completed by a
76	76	student, will entitle the student [him] to:
77	77	(A) a certificate;
78	78	(B) an[,] associate degree, other than an
79	79	academic associate degree, as defined by board rule, from a
80	80	technical institute or junior college; or
81	81	(C) [, or] documentary evidence, other than a
82	82	degree, of completion of a course of study at the postsecondary
83	83	level.
84	84	SECTION 5. Sections 61.822(b) and (c), Education Code, are
85	85	amended to read as follows:
86	86	(b) Each institution of higher education shall adopt a core
87	87	curriculum of no less than 42 semester credit hours, including
88	88	specific courses comprising the curriculum. The core curriculum
89	89	shall be consistent with the common course numbering system
90	90	approved by the board and with the statement, recommendations, and
91	91	rules issued by the board. An institution may have a core
92	92	curriculum of other than 42 semester credit hours only if approved
93	93	by the board. The board by rule may approve a core curriculum of
94	94	fewer than 42 semester credit hours for an associate degree program
95	95	if the board determines that the approval would facilitate the
96	96	award of a degree or transfer of credit consistent with this
97	97	subchapter.
98	98	(c) If a student successfully completes the [42-hour] core
99	99	curriculum at an institution of higher education, that block of
100	100	courses may be transferred to any other institution of higher
101	101	education and must be substituted for the receiving institution's
102	102	core curriculum. A student shall receive academic credit for each
103	103	of the courses transferred and may not be required to take
104	104	additional core curriculum courses at the receiving institution
105	105	unless the board has approved a larger core curriculum at the
106	106	institution.
107	107	SECTION 6. Section 61.823, Education Code, is amended by
108	108	adding Subsection (a-1) and amending Subsection (b) to read as
109	109	follows:
110	110	(a-1) The board by rule may authorize a general academic
111	111	teaching institution to adopt, for each field of study curriculum
112	112	developed by the board for which the institution offers a degree
113	113	program, a set of courses specific to that field of study, for a
114	114	total of at least six semester credit hours or the equivalent, that
115	115	must be completed as part of the field of study curriculum for that
116	116	institution. Each general academic teaching institution that
117	117	adopts a set of courses for a field of study curriculum under this
118	118	subsection shall post on the institution's Internet website in a
119	119	manner easily accessible to students the set of courses with the
120	120	associated course numbers under the common course numbering system.
121	121	(b) If a student successfully completes a field of study
122	122	curriculum developed by the board, that block of courses may be
123	123	transferred to a general academic teaching institution and, subject
124	124	to completion of the set of courses adopted by the institution for
125	125	that field of study under Subsection (a-1), must be substituted for
126	126	that institution's lower division requirements for the degree
127	127	program for the field of study into which the student transfers, and
128	128	the student shall receive full academic credit toward the degree
129	129	program for the block of courses transferred.
130	130	SECTION 7. Sections 61.826(c), (d), and (e), Education
131	131	Code, are amended to read as follows:
132	132	(c) If an institution of higher education proposes to deny
133	133	the application toward the institution's core curriculum or a field
134	134	of study curriculum developed by the board under Section 61.823 of
135	135	[does not accept] course credit earned by a student at another
136	136	institution of higher education in the other institution's core
137	137	curriculum or in a field of study curriculum, that institution
138	138	must:
139	139	(1) [shall] give written notice to the student and the
140	140	other institution of that institution's intent to deny [that] the
141	141	application [transfer] of the course credit to the institution's
142	142	core curriculum or field of study curriculum and the reasons for the
143	143	proposed denial;
144	144	(2) [is denied. The two institutions and the student
145	145	shall] attempt to resolve the application [transfer] of the course
146	146	credit to the institution's core curriculum or field of study
147	147	curriculum with the other institution and the student in accordance
148	148	with this section and 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 to
152	152	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	institution's core curriculum or field of study curriculum and the
158	158	reasons for the denial.
159	159	(d) Not later than the 20th business day after the date the
160	160	commissioner of higher education receives notice of a dispute
161	161	concerning the application of course credit to an institution of
162	162	higher education's core curriculum or field of study curriculum
163	163	under Subsection (c)(4), the [The] commissioner [of higher
164	164	education] or the commissioner's designee shall make the final
165	165	determination about the [a] dispute [concerning the transfer of
166	166	course credit] and give written notice of the determination to the
167	167	involved student and institutions. If the commissioner or the
168	168	commissioner's designee determines that the institution may not
169	169	deny the application of course credit described by Subsection (c)
170	170	to the institution's core curriculum or field of study curriculum,
171	171	the institution shall apply that course credit toward the
172	172	institution's core curriculum or field of study curriculum, as
173	173	applicable. A determination by the commissioner or the
174	174	commissioner's designee under this subsection is final and may not
175	175	be appealed.
176	176	(e) The board shall:
177	177	(1) collect data on the types of transfer disputes
178	178	that are reported and the disposition of each case that is
179	179	considered by the commissioner of higher education or the
180	180	commissioner's designee; and
181	181	(2) post on the board's Internet website a list of each
182	182	case that is considered by the commissioner of higher education or
183	183	the commissioner's designee under this section, including the
184	184	disposition of the case.
185	185	SECTION 8. Section 61.827(b), Education Code, is amended to
186	186	read as follows:
187	187	(b) In adopting rules regarding the recommended core
188	188	curriculum developed under Section 61.822, the board shall appoint
189	189	a committee to advise the board [use the negotiated rulemaking
190	190	procedures] under Section 2001.031 [Chapter 2008], Government
191	191	Code.
192	192	SECTION 9. Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
193	193	amended by adding Section 61.834 to read as follows:
194	194	Sec. 61.834. TEXAS DIRECT ASSOCIATE DEGREE. A public
195	195	junior college, public state college, or public technical institute
196	196	shall award a student a "Texas Direct" associate degree and include
197	197	an appropriate notation on the student's transcript if the student
198	198	completes a field of study curriculum developed by the board under
199	199	Section 61.823 and:
200	200	(1) the college's core curriculum; or
201	201	(2) an abbreviated core curriculum related to a
202	202	specific approved field of study curriculum transferable to one or
203	203	more general academic teaching institutions.
204	204	SECTION 10. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
205	205	academic year.
206	206	SECTION 11. This Act takes effect immediately if it
207	207	receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
208	208	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
209	209	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
210	210	effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
211	211	______________________________ ______________________________
212	212	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
213	213	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1887 passed the Senate on
214	214	April 27, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
215	215	______________________________
216	216	Secretary of the Senate
217	217	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1887 passed the House on
218	218	May 9, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 106, Nays 25, two
219	219	present not voting.
220	220	______________________________
221	221	Chief Clerk of the House
222	222	Approved:
223	223	______________________________
224	224	Date
225	225	______________________________
226	226	Governor