By: Creighton S.B. No. 2136
(Kuempel)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to measures to support public secondary and postsecondary
American history and civics education, including the satisfaction
of curriculum requirements in American History at institutions of
higher education and the establishment of the American History and
Civics Project.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 51.302(b), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or
university receiving state support or state aid from public funds
may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic
certificate to any person unless the person has credit for six
semester hours or its equivalent in American History. A student is
entitled to submit as much as three semester hours of credit or its
equivalent in Texas History in partial satisfaction of this
requirement. The college or university shall ensure that a student
may satisfy this requirement by successfully completing survey
courses that address the major themes of American history from the
nation's founding onward. The college or university may determine
that a student has satisfied this requirement in whole or part on
the basis of credit granted to the student by the college or
university for a substantially equivalent course completed at
another accredited college or university, or on the basis of the
student's successful completion of an advanced standing
examination administered on the conditions and under the
circumstances common for the college or university's advanced
standing examinations. The college or university may grant as much
as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent toward
satisfaction of this requirement for substantially equivalent work
completed by a student in the program of an approved senior R.O.T.C.
unit.
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.0518 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.0518. AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS PROJECT. (a) In
this section, "project" means the American History and Civics
Project.
(b) The board, in consultation with institutions of higher
education, shall establish the American History and Civics Project
to:
(1) strengthen American history and civics education
at public high schools and institutions of higher education; and
(2) encourage the development and effective use of
high-quality digital content and professional development
materials for use in American history and civics education at
public high schools and institutions of higher education.
(c) The board shall convene an expert commission of scholars
and educators to assist in the creation of the project.
(d) Using funds appropriated or otherwise available for
purposes of the project, the board shall award grants to
individuals with relevant subject matter expertise, school
districts, or institutions of higher education to recommend and
develop digital content and professional development materials for
use in American history and civics education at public high schools
and institutions of higher education.
(e) Digital content recommended or developed using a grant
awarded under Subsection (d) may include interactive and
audiovisual resources, assignments, and model syllabuses that:
(1) address the major themes of American history from
the nation's founding onward; and
(2) may be used in the delivery of:
(A) survey courses offered by institutions of
higher education;
(B) dual credit or dual enrollment courses
offered by public high schools or institutions of higher education;
or
(C) public high school courses for which students
may receive credit that satisfies all or part of the requirements
under Section 51.302(b).
(f) To encourage the effective use of digital content
recommended or developed using a grant awarded under Subsection
(d), the board shall, using funds appropriated or otherwise
available for purposes of the project, support the establishment of
a professional development program for individuals who teach one or
more American history and civics courses, including a dual credit
or dual enrollment course, at a public high school or institution of
higher education. The professional development program may include
an annual statewide conference.
(g) The board shall include in the state repository of open
educational resources developed under Section 61.0670 any digital
content or professional development materials developed using a
grant awarded under Subsection (d).
(h) The board may adopt rules necessary to implement this
section.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.