Bill Text: TX HB18 | 2015-2016 | 84th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to measures to support public school student academic achievement and high school, college, and career preparation.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 6-1)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-19 - Effective immediately [HB18 Detail]
Download: Texas-2015-HB18-Enrolled.html
H.B. No. 18 |
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relating to measures to support public school student academic | ||
achievement and high school, college, and career preparation. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Sections 7.0561(b), (c), (d), and (j), Education | ||
Code, are amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) The Texas High Performance Schools Consortium is | ||
established to inform the governor, legislature, State Board of | ||
Education, and commissioner concerning methods for transforming | ||
public schools in this state by improving student learning through | ||
the development of innovative, next-generation learning standards | ||
and assessment and accountability systems, including standards and | ||
systems relating to career and college readiness. | ||
(c) From among school districts and eligible | ||
open-enrollment charter schools that apply using the form and in | ||
the time and manner established by commissioner rule, the | ||
commissioner may select not more than 30 [ |
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consortium. The districts selected by the commissioner must | ||
represent a range of district types, sizes, and diverse student | ||
populations, as determined by the commissioner in accordance with | ||
commissioner rule. To be eligible to participate in the | ||
consortium, an open-enrollment charter school must have been | ||
awarded a [ |
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G, Chapter 39, during the preceding school year. | ||
(d) The number of students enrolled in consortium | ||
participants may not be greater than a number equal to 10 [ |
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percent of the total number of students enrolled in public schools | ||
in this state according to the most recent agency data. | ||
(j) The [ |
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open-enrollment charter schools participating in the consortium[ |
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and progress of the consortium to the governor, [ |
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legislature, the State Board of Education, and the commissioner not | ||
later than December 1 of each even-numbered year[ |
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SECTION 2. Section 28.009(b), Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(b) The agency shall coordinate with the Texas Higher | ||
Education Coordinating Board as necessary in administering this | ||
section. The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary concerning | ||
the duties under this section of a school district. The Texas | ||
Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt rules as necessary | ||
concerning the duties under this section of a public institution of | ||
higher education. A rule may not limit the number of dual credit | ||
courses or semester credit hours in which a student may enroll while | ||
in high school or limit the number of dual credit courses or | ||
semester credit hours in which a student may enroll each semester or | ||
academic year. | ||
SECTION 3. (a) Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, | ||
is amended by adding Section 28.015 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 28.015. PUBLIC OUTREACH MATERIALS TO PROMOTE | ||
CURRICULUM CHANGE AWARENESS. (a) The agency shall develop uniform | ||
public outreach materials that explain the importance and outline | ||
the details of public school curriculum changes under Chapter 211 | ||
(H.B. 5), Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, and | ||
subsequent associated decisions by the State Board of Education. | ||
The agency shall make the materials available to school districts. | ||
(b) The materials developed under this section must: | ||
(1) be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese; | ||
(2) be in a form that would allow school districts to | ||
mail the information to students and parents; and | ||
(3) include an explanation of: | ||
(A) the basic career and college readiness | ||
components of each endorsement under Section 28.025(c-1); | ||
(B) the curriculum requirements to gain | ||
automatic college admission under Section 51.803; and | ||
(C) applicable course, graduation plan, and | ||
endorsement requirements for financial aid authorized under Title | ||
3, including curriculum requirements for: | ||
(i) the TEXAS grant as provided under | ||
Subchapter M, Chapter 56; | ||
(ii) the Texas Educational Opportunity | ||
Grant Program as provided under Subchapter P, Chapter 56; and | ||
(iii) the Texas B-On-time loan program as | ||
provided under Subchapter Q, Chapter 56. | ||
(c) This section expires September 1, 2018. | ||
(b) The Texas Education Agency shall develop the materials | ||
described under Section 28.015, Education Code, as added by this | ||
section, no later than December 1, 2015. | ||
SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 28.016 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 28.016. INSTRUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND | ||
CAREER PREPARATION. (a) Each school district shall provide | ||
instruction to students in grade seven or eight in preparing for | ||
high school, college, and a career. | ||
(b) The instruction must include information regarding: | ||
(1) the creation of a high school personal graduation | ||
plan under Section 28.02121; | ||
(2) the distinguished level of achievement described | ||
by Section 28.025(b-15); | ||
(3) each endorsement described by Section | ||
28.025(c-1); | ||
(4) college readiness standards; and | ||
(5) potential career choices and the education needed | ||
to enter those careers. | ||
(c) A school district may: | ||
(1) provide the instruction as part of an existing | ||
course in the required curriculum; | ||
(2) provide the instruction as part of an existing | ||
career and technology course designated by the State Board of | ||
Education as appropriate for that purpose; or | ||
(3) establish a new elective course through which to | ||
provide the instruction. | ||
(d) Each school district shall ensure that at least once in | ||
grade seven or eight each student receives the instruction under | ||
this section. | ||
SECTION 5. Subchapter A, Chapter 33, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 33.009 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 33.009. POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION AND CAREER COUNSELING | ||
ACADEMIES. (a) In this section, "center" means the Center for | ||
Teaching and Learning at The University of Texas at Austin. | ||
(b) The center shall develop and make available | ||
postsecondary education and career counseling academies for school | ||
counselors and other postsecondary advisors employed by a school | ||
district at a middle school, junior high school, or high school. | ||
(c) In developing academies under this section, the center | ||
shall solicit input from the agency, school counselors, the Texas | ||
Workforce Commission, institutions of higher education, and | ||
business, community, and school leaders. | ||
(d) An academy developed under this section must provide | ||
counselors and other postsecondary advisors with knowledge and | ||
skills to provide counseling to students regarding postsecondary | ||
success and productive career planning and must include information | ||
relating to: | ||
(1) each endorsement described by Section | ||
28.025(c-1), including: | ||
(A) the course requirements for each | ||
endorsement; and | ||
(B) the postsecondary educational and career | ||
opportunities associated with each endorsement; | ||
(2) available methods for a student to earn credit for | ||
a course not offered at the school in which the student is enrolled, | ||
including enrollment in an electronic course provided through the | ||
state virtual school network under Chapter 30A; | ||
(3) general academic performance requirements for | ||
admission to an institution of higher education, including the | ||
requirements for automatic admission to a general academic teaching | ||
institution under Section 51.803; | ||
(4) regional workforce needs, including information | ||
about the required education and the average wage or salary for | ||
careers that meet those workforce needs; and | ||
(5) effective strategies for engaging students and | ||
parents in planning for postsecondary education and potential | ||
careers, including participation in mentorships and business | ||
partnerships. | ||
(e) The center shall develop an online instructional | ||
program that school districts may use in providing the instruction | ||
in high school, college, and career preparation required by Section | ||
28.016. The program must be structured for use as part of an | ||
existing course. | ||
(f) The center may access the P-20/Workforce Data | ||
Repository established under Section 1.005(j-1) in developing | ||
training, instructional programs, and technological tools under | ||
this section and conducting related evaluations. The center may be | ||
provided access to the data repository through collaboration with | ||
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or a center for | ||
education research established under Section 1.005. The agency and | ||
the coordinating board may not condition the center's access to the | ||
data repository on agency or board review of the proposed training, | ||
instructional programs, technological tools, or related | ||
evaluations developed by the center. | ||
(g) A teacher of a course described by Section 28.016(c)(2) | ||
or (3) may attend an academy developed under this section. | ||
(h) From funds appropriated for that purpose, a school | ||
counselor who attends the academy under this section is entitled to | ||
receive a stipend in the amount determined by the center. If funds | ||
are available after all eligible school counselors have received a | ||
stipend under this subsection, the center shall pay a stipend in the | ||
amount determined by the center to a teacher who attends the academy | ||
under this section. A stipend received under this subsection is not | ||
considered in determining whether a district is paying the school | ||
counselor or teacher the minimum monthly salary under Section | ||
21.402. | ||
(i) From available funds appropriated for purposes of this | ||
section, the center may provide to school counselors and other | ||
educators curricula, instructional materials, and technological | ||
tools relating to postsecondary education and career counseling. | ||
(j) The center shall comply with any applicable provision of | ||
the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. | ||
Section 1232g) in performing its duties or exercising its authority | ||
under this section. | ||
SECTION 6. (a) Section 51.3062, Education Code, is amended | ||
by adding Subsection (u) to read as follows: | ||
(u) An institution of higher education that administers an | ||
assessment instrument to students under this section shall report | ||
to each school district from which assessed students graduated high | ||
school all available information regarding student scores and | ||
performance on the assessment instrument and student demographics. | ||
The board shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this | ||
subsection, including rules for implementing this subsection in a | ||
manner that complies with federal law regarding confidentiality of | ||
student medical or educational information, including the Health | ||
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. | ||
Section 1320d et seq.) and the Family Educational Rights and | ||
Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g), and any state law | ||
relating to the privacy of student information. | ||
(b) Section 51.3062(u), Education Code, as added by this | ||
section, applies beginning with assessment instruments | ||
administered by public institutions of higher education to entering | ||
undergraduate students for the 2016 fall semester. | ||
SECTION 7. Section 130.008, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsections (g) and (h) to read as follows: | ||
(g) A course offered for joint high school and junior | ||
college credit under this section must be taught by a qualified | ||
instructor approved or selected by the public junior college. For | ||
purposes of this subsection, an instructor is qualified if the | ||
instructor holds: | ||
(1) a doctoral or master's degree in the discipline | ||
that is the subject of the course; | ||
(2) a master's degree in another discipline with a | ||
concentration that required completion of a minimum of 18 graduate | ||
semester hours in the discipline that is the subject of the course; | ||
or | ||
(3) for a course that is offered in an associate degree | ||
program and that is not designed for transfer to a baccalaureate | ||
degree program: | ||
(A) a degree described by Subdivision (1) or (2); | ||
(B) a baccalaureate degree in the discipline that | ||
is the subject of the course; or | ||
(C) an associate degree and demonstrated | ||
competencies in the discipline that is the subject of the course, as | ||
determined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. | ||
(h) Not later than the 60th day after receipt, a public | ||
junior college shall approve or reject an application for approval | ||
to teach a course at a high school that is submitted by an | ||
instructor employed by the school district, organization, or other | ||
person that operates the high school with which the junior college | ||
entered into an agreement under this section to offer the course. | ||
SECTION 8. Section 303.003(b-2), Labor Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
(b-2) In addition to the purposes described by Subsections | ||
(b) and (b-1), in each state fiscal biennium, an amount of money | ||
from the skills development fund not to exceed five percent of the | ||
amount of general revenue appropriated to the skills development | ||
fund for that biennium may be used as provided by this subsection. | ||
Funds available to the commission from other sources may also be | ||
used as provided by this subsection. Funds may be awarded under | ||
this subsection to a lower-division institution of higher education | ||
to be used under an agreement with a school district, or to a school | ||
district to be used under an agreement with a lower-division | ||
institution of higher education, to support courses offered for | ||
joint high school and college-level credit or offered under a | ||
college credit career or technical education program that leads to | ||
an industry-recognized license, credential, or certificate. | ||
Appropriate uses of funds awarded under this subsection include | ||
purchasing or repairing necessary equipment for a course and | ||
developing a course curriculum. A course or program supported | ||
under this subsection must: | ||
(1) have the endorsement of, or a letter of support | ||
from, at least one employer in this state; and | ||
(2) be targeted to address the needs of high-demand | ||
fields or occupations, as identified by the applicable local | ||
workforce development board. | ||
SECTION 9. Section 28.016, Education Code, as added by this | ||
Act, applies beginning with the 2015-2016 school year. | ||
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect immediately if it | ||
receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each | ||
house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. | ||
If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate | ||
effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015. | ||
______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
I certify that H.B. No. 18 was passed by the House on May 12, | ||
2015, by the following vote: Yeas 136, Nays 9, 2 present, not | ||
voting; that the House refused to concur in Senate amendments to | ||
H.B. No. 18 on May 29, 2015, and requested the appointment of a | ||
conference committee to consider the differences between the two | ||
houses; and that the House adopted the conference committee report | ||
on H.B. No. 18 on May 31, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 135, | ||
Nays 8, 2 present, not voting. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||
I certify that H.B. No. 18 was passed by the Senate, with | ||
amendments, on May 27, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays | ||
1; at the request of the House, the Senate appointed a conference | ||
committee to consider the differences between the two houses; and | ||
that the Senate adopted the conference committee report on H.B. No. | ||
18 on May 31, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Secretary of the Senate | ||
APPROVED: __________________ | ||
Date | ||
__________________ | ||
Governor |