Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB518 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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1	1	By: Kolkhorst S.B. No. 518
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to the consideration of standardized test scores as a
7	7	factor in nonautomatic admissions decisions at certain public
8	8	institutions of higher education.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 51.805(b), Education Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	(b) The general academic teaching institution, after
13	13	admitting students under Sections 51.803 and 51.804, shall admit
14	14	other applicants for admission as undergraduate students. It is
15	15	the intent of the legislature that all institutions of higher
16	16	education pursue academic excellence by considering students'
17	17	academic achievements in decisions related to admissions. In
18	18	making first-time freshmen admissions decisions, each [Because of
19	19	changing demographic trends, diversity, and population increases
20	20	in the state, each] general academic teaching institution shall
21	21	also consider:
22	22	(1) if provided by the applicant, the applicant's
23	23	performance on a standardized test appropriate for undergraduate
24	24	admissions; and
25	25	(2) because of changing demographic trends,
26	26	diversity, and population increases in the state, all of, any of, or
27	27	a combination of the following socioeconomic indicators or factors
28	28	[in making first-time freshman admissions decisions]:
29	29	(A) [(1)] the applicant's academic record;
30	30	(B) [(2)] the socioeconomic background of the
31	31	applicant, including the percentage by which the applicant's family
32	32	is above or below any recognized measure of poverty, the
33	33	applicant's household income, and the applicant's parents' level of
34	34	education;
35	35	(C) [(3)] whether the applicant would be the
36	36	first generation of the applicant's family to attend or graduate
37	37	from an institution of higher education;
38	38	(D) [(4)] whether the applicant has bilingual
39	39	proficiency;
40	40	(E) [(5)] the financial status of the
41	41	applicant's school district;
42	42	(F) [(6)] the performance level of the
43	43	applicant's school as determined by the school accountability
44	44	criteria used by the Texas Education Agency;
45	45	(G) [(7)] the applicant's responsibilities while
46	46	attending school, including whether the applicant has been
47	47	employed, whether the applicant has helped to raise children, or
48	48	other similar factors;
49	49	(H) [(8)] the applicant's region of residence;
50	50	(I) [(9)] whether the applicant is a resident of
51	51	a rural or urban area or a resident of a central city or suburban
52	52	area in the state;
53	53	(J) [(10) the applicant's performance on
54	54	standardized tests;
55	55	[(11)] the applicant's performance on standardized
56	56	tests in comparison with that of other students from similar
57	57	socioeconomic backgrounds;
58	58	(K) [(12)] whether the applicant attended any
59	59	school while the school was under a court-ordered desegregation
60	60	plan;
61	61	(L) [(13)] the applicant's involvement in
62	62	community activities;
63	63	(M) [(14)] the applicant's extracurricular
64	64	activities;
65	65	(N) [(15)] the applicant's commitment to a
66	66	particular field of study;
67	67	(O) [(16)] the applicant's personal interview;
68	68	(P) [(17)] the applicant's admission to a
69	69	comparable accredited out-of-state institution; and
70	70	(Q) [(18)] any other consideration the
71	71	institution considers necessary to accomplish the institution's
72	72	stated mission.
73	73	SECTION 2. Section 51.842, Education Code, is amended by
74	74	adding Subsections (a-1) and (b-1) and amending Subsection (b) to
75	75	read as follows:
76	76	(a-1) In making admissions decisions for the program, a
77	77	graduate or professional program of a general academic teaching
78	78	institution or medical or dental unit shall consider an applicant's
79	79	performance on a standardized test appropriate for the program,
80	80	except that the applicant's performance on the standardized test
81	81	may not be used as the sole criterion for consideration of the
82	82	applicant or as the primary criterion to end consideration of the
83	83	applicant. The applicant's performance on the standardized test
84	84	must also be used to compare the applicant's test score with those
85	85	of other applicants from similar socioeconomic backgrounds to the
86	86	extent that those backgrounds can be properly determined and
87	87	identified by the general academic teaching institution or medical
88	88	and dental unit based on information provided in the institution's
89	89	or unit's admissions process.
90	90	(b) An applicant's performance on a standardized test may
91	91	not be used in the [admissions or] competitive scholarship process
92	92	for a graduate or professional program as the sole criterion for
93	93	consideration of the applicant or as the primary criterion to end
94	94	consideration of the applicant. If an applicant's performance on a
95	95	standardized test is used in the [admissions or] competitive
96	96	scholarship process, the applicant's performance must also be used
97	97	to compare the applicant's test score with those of other
98	98	applicants from similar socioeconomic backgrounds to the extent
99	99	that those backgrounds can be properly determined and identified by
100	100	the general academic teaching institution or medical and dental
101	101	unit based on information provided in the institution's or unit's
102	102	[admissions or] competitive scholarship process.
103	103	(b-1) Subsections (a-1) and (b) do [This subsection does]
104	104	not apply to a standardized test used to measure the English
105	105	language proficiency of a student who is a graduate of a foreign
106	106	institution of higher education.
107	107	SECTION 3. Sections 51.805 and 51.842, Education Code, as
108	108	amended by this Act, apply beginning with admissions for the 2024
109	109	fall semester. Admissions for an academic period before the 2024
110	110	fall semester are governed by the law in effect immediately before
111	111	the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in
112	112	effect for that purpose.
113	113	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
114	114	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
115	115	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
116	116	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
117	117	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.