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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the granting of undergraduate course credit by |
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examination at public institutions of higher education; |
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authorizing a fee. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. The heading to Section 51.968, Education Code, |
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is amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 51.968. UNDERGRADUATE COURSE CREDIT BY EXAMINATION OR |
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[FOR] HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION OF [STUDENTS COMPLETING] |
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POSTSECONDARY-LEVEL PROGRAM. |
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SECTION 2. Section 51.968(a)(4), Education Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(4) "Institution of higher education" has the meaning |
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assigned [means an institution of higher education, as defined] by |
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Section 61.003[, that offers freshman-level courses]. |
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SECTION 3. Section 51.968, Education Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), (a-3), (d-1), and (f-1) and |
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amending Subsections (b), (c), and (e) to read as follows: |
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(a-1) This section applies only to an institution of higher |
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education that offers freshman-level and sophomore-level courses. |
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(a-2) To maximize opportunities for students to earn |
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undergraduate course credit at the institution, each institution of |
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higher education shall develop and, at least once during each |
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academic year, administer one or more institution-specific |
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examinations by which entering or current undergraduate students |
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may earn freshman-level or sophomore-level course credit in the |
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same manner as an entering freshman student may earn course credit |
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through a CLEP examination or advanced placement examination. The |
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institution may charge students a reasonable fee for taking an |
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examination described by this subsection. The institution shall |
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develop and administer examinations for course credit for as many |
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freshman-level and sophomore-level courses as practicable and may |
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develop those examinations using source material from other |
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institutions of higher education. |
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(a-3) Each institution of higher education that ceases to |
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offer credit through the College-Level Examination Program or the |
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Advanced Placement Program for a specific course shall offer credit |
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for the course through an institution-specific examination |
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administered under Subsection (a-2). |
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(b) Each institution of higher education [that offers
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freshman-level courses] shall adopt and implement a policy to grant |
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[undergraduate] course credit for freshman-level and |
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sophomore-level courses to undergraduate [entering freshman] |
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students who have: |
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(1) successfully completed the International |
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Baccalaureate Diploma Program; |
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(2)[, who have] achieved required scores on one or more |
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examinations in the Advanced Placement Program or the College-Level |
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Examination Program; |
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(3)[, or who have] successfully completed one or more |
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courses offered through concurrent enrollment in high school and at |
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an institution of higher education; or |
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(4) achieved required scores on one or more |
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institution-specific examinations administered by the institution |
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under Subsection (a-2). |
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(c) In the policy, the institution shall: |
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(1) establish the institution's conditions for |
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granting course credit, including the minimum required scores on |
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CLEP examinations, Advanced Placement examinations, [and] |
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examinations for courses constituting the International |
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Baccalaureate Diploma Program, and institution-specific |
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examinations administered by the institution under Subsection |
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(a-2); and |
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(2) based on the correlations identified under |
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Subsections [Subsection] (f) and (f-1), identify the specific |
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freshman-level or sophomore-level course credit or other academic |
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requirements of the institution, including the number of semester |
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credit hours or other course credit, that the institution will |
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grant to a student who successfully completes a course or program or |
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achieves a required score on an examination as described by |
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Subsection (b) [the diploma program, who successfully completes a
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course through concurrent enrollment, or who achieves required
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scores on CLEP examinations or Advanced Placement examinations]. |
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(d-1) Each institution of higher education shall: |
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(1) report to the coordinating board: |
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(A) a list of courses for which the institution |
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offers undergraduate students the opportunity to earn course credit |
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through an institution-specific examination; and |
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(B) the institution's policy adopted under this |
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section; and |
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(2) include a copy of the list and policy with the |
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institution's undergraduate student application materials, |
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including application materials available on the institution's |
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Internet website. |
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(e) On request of an applicant for admission as an entering |
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undergraduate student [freshman], an institution of higher |
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education, based on information provided by the applicant, shall |
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determine and notify the applicant regarding: |
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(1) the amount and type of any course credit that would |
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or could be granted to the applicant under the policy; and |
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(2) any other academic requirement that the applicant |
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would satisfy under the policy. |
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(f-1) An institution of higher education shall: |
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(1) identify correlations between the subject matter |
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and content of courses offered by the institution and the subject |
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matter and content of institution-specific examinations |
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administered by the institution under Subsection (a-2); and |
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(2) make that information available to the public on |
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the institution's Internet website. |
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SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act applies |
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beginning with the 2014-2015 academic year. An academic year |
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occurring before that academic year is covered by the law in effect |
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immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is |
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continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |