Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1241 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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1	1	By: Middleton, et al. S.B. No. 1241
2	2	(In the Senate - Filed February 12, 2025; February 28, 2025,
3	3	read first time and referred to Committee on Education K-16;
4	4	April 22, 2025, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
5	5	Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 10, Nays 1; April 22, 2025,
6	6	sent to printer.)
7	7	Click here to see the committee vote
8	8	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1241 By: Paxton
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13	13	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
14	14	AN ACT
15	15	relating to college entrance examinations considered for admission
16	16	to certain public institutions of higher education and a study by
17	17	the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regarding those
18	18	examinations.
19	19	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
20	20	SECTION 1. Section 51.803(a), Education Code, is amended to
21	21	read as follows:
22	22	(a) Subject to Subsection (a-1), each general academic
23	23	teaching institution shall admit an applicant for admission to the
24	24	institution as an undergraduate student if the applicant graduated
25	25	with a grade point average in the top 10 percent of the student's
26	26	high school graduating class in one of the two school years
27	27	preceding the academic year for which the applicant is applying for
28	28	admission and:
29	29	(1) the applicant:
30	30	(A) graduated from a public or private high
31	31	school in this state accredited by a generally recognized
32	32	accrediting organization or from a high school operated by the
33	33	United States Department of Defense; or
34	34	(B) completed a nontraditional secondary
35	35	education as defined by Section 51.9241;
36	36	(2) the applicant:
37	37	(A) successfully completed:
38	38	(i) at a public high school, the curriculum
39	39	requirements established under Section 28.025 for the
40	40	distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school
41	41	program; or
42	42	(ii) at a high school to which Section
43	43	28.025 does not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content
44	44	and rigor to the distinguished level of achievement under the
45	45	foundation high school program; or
46	46	(B) achieved a score set by the Texas Higher
47	47	Education Coordinating Board on a college entrance examination
48	48	designated by coordinating board rule [satisfied ACT's College
49	49	Readiness Benchmarks on the ACT assessment applicable to the
50	50	applicant or earned on the SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500
51	51	out of 2,400 or the equivalent]; and
52	52	(3) if the applicant graduated from a high school
53	53	operated by the United States Department of Defense, the applicant
54	54	is a Texas resident under Section 54.052 or is entitled to pay
55	55	tuition fees at the rate provided for Texas residents under Section
56	56	54.241(d) for the term or semester to which admitted.
57	57	SECTION 2. Section 51.805(a), Education Code, is amended to
58	58	read as follows:
59	59	(a) A graduating student who does not qualify for admission
60	60	under Section 51.803 or 51.804 may apply to any general academic
61	61	teaching institution if the student:
62	62	(1) successfully completed:
63	63	(A) at a public high school, the curriculum
64	64	requirements established under Section 28.025 for the foundation
65	65	high school program; or
66	66	(B) at a high school to which Section 28.025 does
67	67	not apply, a curriculum that is equivalent in content and rigor to
68	68	the foundation high school program; or
69	69	(2) achieved a score set by the Texas Higher Education
70	70	Coordinating Board on a college entrance examination designated by
71	71	coordinating board rule [satisfied ACT's College Readiness
72	72	Benchmarks on the ACT assessment applicable to the applicant or
73	73	earned on the SAT assessment a score of at least 1,500 out of 2,400
74	74	or the equivalent].
75	75	SECTION 3. Subchapter U, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
76	76	amended by adding Section 51.8031 to read as follows:
77	77	Sec. 51.8031. STUDY ON COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION SCORES.
78	78	(a) In this section, "coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
79	79	Education Coordinating Board.
80	80	(b) The coordinating board, in cooperation with
81	81	institutions of higher education, shall conduct a study on college
82	82	entrance examinations to determine which examinations to
83	83	designate, and the score to set for each examination, under
84	84	Sections 51.803(a)(2)(B) and 51.805(a)(2).
85	85	(c) The study must:
86	86	(1) identify each college entrance examination with
87	87	sufficient rigor and reliability to be designated for purposes of
88	88	Sections 51.803(a)(2)(B) and 51.805(a)(2); and
89	89	(2) determine the score for each examination
90	90	identified under Subdivision (1) that demonstrates adequate
91	91	performance for purposes of Sections 51.803(a)(2)(B) and
92	92	51.805(a)(2).
93	93	(d) Not later than August 1, 2026, the coordinating board
94	94	shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker
95	95	of the house of representatives, and the chair of each standing
96	96	legislative committee with primary jurisdiction over higher
97	97	education a report on the results of the study and any
98	98	recommendations for legislative or other action.
99	99	(e) This section expires September 1, 2027.
100	100	SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
101	101	51.803(a) and 51.805(a), Education Code, apply beginning with
102	102	admissions to a general academic teaching institution for the 2026
103	103	fall semester. Admissions to a general academic teaching
104	104	institution for a term or semester before the 2026 fall semester are
105	105	governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date
106	106	of this Act, and the former law is continued in effect for that
107	107	purpose.
108	108	SECTION 5. In designating college entrance examinations and
109	109	setting a score for those examinations for purposes of Sections
110	110	51.803(a)(2)(B) and 51.805(a)(2), Education Code, as amended by
111	111	this Act, for the 2026-2027 academic year, the Texas Higher
112	112	Education Coordinating Board shall designate each college entrance
113	113	examination and set the score for the examination that was used
114	114	under those provisions as those provisions existed immediately
115	115	before the effective date of this Act.
116	116	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
117	117	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
118	118	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
119	119	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
120	120	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
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