HB1868 - Relating to a study on changes to performance tier funding for dual credit or dual enrollment courses under the public junior college state finance program and the capacity of the state's workforce to teach dual credit or dual enrollment courses.

      H.B. No. 1868         AN ACT   relating to a study on changes to performance tier funding for dual   credit or dual enrollment courses under the public junior college   state finance program and the capacity of the state's workforce to   teach dual credit or dual enrollment courses.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 130A, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 130A.1011 to read as follows:           Sec.   130A.1011.     STUDY ON DUAL CREDIT OR DUAL ENROLLMENT   COURSE SEQUENCES AND WORKFORCE CAPACITY. (a)   The coordinating   board shall conduct a study to assess the feasibility and the fiscal   and policy implications, including the fiscal impact to the state,   of decreasing the number of semester credit hours or the equivalent   for a sequence of dual credit or dual enrollment courses for   purposes of performance tier funding under Section 130A.101(c)(3)   to nine semester credit hours or the equivalent.           (b)     In conducting the study, the coordinating board shall   assess:                 (1)     the potential benefit to students of taking the   action described by Subsection (a), including:                       (A)     alignment with the public school   accountability system under Chapter 39;                       (B)     any reduction in the time to graduate with or   the cost for an undergraduate degree at an institution of higher   education; and                       (C)     a comparison of matriculation and completion   rates for students who complete a sequence of 9 semester credit   hours or the equivalent for dual credit or dual enrollment courses   versus a sequence of 15 semester credit hours or the equivalent for   those courses; and                 (2)     the current and projected capacity of the state's   workforce to teach dual credit or dual enrollment courses,   including:                       (A)     an estimate of the number of instructors   currently eligible to teach dual credit or dual enrollment courses   and the geographic distribution of those instructors;                       (B)     an analysis of barriers to certification or   credentialing in teaching dual credit or dual enrollment courses;   and                       (C)     strategies to increase the number of   instructors eligible to teach dual credit or dual enrollment   courses, including:                             (i)  professional development pathways;                             (ii)     partnerships with institutions of   higher education, as defined by Section 61.003; and                             (iii)     targeted financial or academic   support programs.           (c)     The coordinating board may consult with the Texas   Education Agency and institutions of higher education in conducting   the study.           (d)     Not later than December 1, 2026, the coordinating board   shall submit to the legislature a report on the results of the study   conducted under this section and any recommendations for   legislative or other action, including recommendations for actions   to support an expanded workforce of dual credit or dual enrollment   instructors.           (e)  This section expires September 1, 2027.          SECTION 2.  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, 2025.       ______________________________ ______________________________      President of the Senate Speaker of the House                   I certify that H.B. No. 1868 was passed by the House on April   30, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 103, Nays 30, 3 present, not   voting.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House                 I certify that H.B. No. 1868 was passed by the Senate on May   28, 2025, by the following vote:  Yeas 29, Nays 2.     ______________________________   Secretary of the Senate       APPROVED:  _____________________                      Date                           _____________________                    Governor