HB3041 - Relating to measures to support the enrollment of students with a nontraditional secondary education at public institutions of higher education, including eligibility for certain student financial assistance programs.

      H.B. No. 3041         AN ACT   relating to measures to support the enrollment of students with a   nontraditional secondary education at public institutions of   higher education, including eligibility for certain student   financial assistance programs.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Sections 51.803(a-1), (a-2), and (m), Education   Code, are amended to read as follows:          (a-1)  Beginning with admissions for the 2011-2012 academic   year, The University of Texas at Austin is not required to offer   admission to applicants who qualify for automatic admission under   Subsection (a) in excess of the number required to fill 75 percent   of the university's enrollment capacity designated for first-time   resident undergraduate students in an academic year.  If the number   of applicants who qualify for automatic admission to The University   of Texas at Austin under Subsection (a) for an academic year exceeds   75 percent of the university's enrollment capacity designated for   first-time resident undergraduate students for that academic year,   the university may elect to offer admission to those applicants as   provided by this subsection and not as otherwise required by   Subsection (a).  If the university elects to offer admission under   this subsection, except as otherwise provided by this subsection   for those students who completed a nontraditional secondary   education, the university shall offer admission to those applicants   by percentile rank according to high school graduating class   standing based on grade point average, beginning with the top   percentile rank, until the applicants qualified under Subsection   (a) , including those applicants who completed a nontraditional   secondary education as determined below, have been offered   admission in the number estimated in good faith by the university as   sufficient to fill 75 percent of the university's enrollment   capacity designated for first-time resident undergraduate   students, except that the university must offer admission to all   applicants with the same percentile rank.   Notwithstanding Section   51.9241, for the admission under this subsection of those   applicants qualified for automatic admission under Subsection (a)   who completed a nontraditional secondary education, instead of   offering admission to those applicants by high school graduating   class percentile rank, the university shall offer admission to   those applicants whose score on a standardized test on a college   entrance examination meets or exceeds a benchmark test score set by   the university for purposes of this subsection. The university   shall set the benchmark test score to be used under this subsection   for an academic year based on the standardized test scores on a   college entrance examination of applicants to the university who   completed a nontraditional secondary education and who were offered   admission under this subsection in the academic year preceding the   academic year by two years and in a manner designed to ensure that   the percent of applicants who completed a nontraditional secondary   education and who are offered admission under this subsection for   an academic year will be the same as the percent of applicants who   completed a traditional secondary education and who are offered   admission under this subsection for that year. After the   applicants qualified for automatic admission under Subsection (a) ,   including those who completed a nontraditional secondary   education, have been offered admission under this subsection in the   number estimated in good faith as sufficient to fill 75 percent of   the designated enrollment capacity described by this subsection,   the university shall consider any remaining applicants qualified   for automatic admission under Subsection (a) in the same manner as   other applicants for admission as first-time undergraduate   students in accordance with Section 51.805. In this subsection,   "nontraditional secondary education" has the meaning assigned by   Section 51.9241.          (a-2)  If the number of applicants who apply to a general   academic teaching institution during the current academic year for   admission in the next academic year and who qualify for automatic   admission to a general academic teaching institution under   Subsection (a) exceeds 75 percent of the institution's enrollment   capacity designated for first-time resident undergraduate students   for that next academic year and the institution plans to offer   admission under Subsection (a-1) during the next school year, the   institution shall, in the manner prescribed by the Texas Education   Agency and not later than September 15, provide to each school   district, for dissemination of the information to high school   junior-level students and their parents, notice of :                 (1)   which percentile ranks of high school senior-level   students who qualify for automatic admission under Subsection (a)   are anticipated by the institution to be offered admission under   Subsection (a-1) during the next school year ; and                 (2)     what benchmark test score will be used by the   institution to offer admission under Subsection (a-1) during the   next school year to students who qualify for automatic admission   under Subsection (a) and who complete a nontraditional secondary   education .          (m)  In determining the eligibility for admission under   Subsection (a) [ this section ] of an applicant with a nontraditional   secondary education, as defined by Section 51.9241, that does not   include a high school graduating class ranking, a general academic   teaching institution shall calculate the applicant's class rank in   the manner provided by Section 51.9241(d).          SECTION 2.  Section 51.9241, Education Code, is amended by   amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (e) to read as   follows:          (d)  If an institution of higher education in its   undergraduate admission review process sorts applicants by high   school graduating class rank, the institution shall assign a class   rank to [ place ] any applicant who presents evidence that the   applicant has successfully completed a nontraditional secondary   education that does not include a high school graduating class   ranking by:                 (1)     calculating for each class rank of other   applicants to the institution the median score on each college   entrance examination the institution considers in admissions; and                 (2)     assigning to the applicant the highest class rank   for which the applicant's score on a college entrance examination   the institution considers in admissions is at least equal to the   median score for that class rank calculated under Subdivision (1)   [ at the average high school graduating class rank of undergraduate   applicants to the institution who have equivalent standardized   testing scores as the applicant ].           (e)     An institution of higher education to which Subsection   (d) applies shall post on the institution's Internet website the   median score on each college entrance examination the institution   considers in admissions calculated for each class rank under   Subsection (d)(1) for the preceding admissions cycle.          SECTION 3.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is   amended by adding Section 51.9675 to read as follows:           Sec.   51.9675.     EQUAL ACCESS TO DUAL CREDIT COURSES. (a)   In   this section, "institution of higher education"   has the meaning   assigned by Section 61.003.           (b)     In admitting or enrolling high school students in a dual   credit course, an institution of higher education must apply the   same criteria and conditions to each student wishing to enroll in   the course without regard to whether the student attends a public   school or a private or parochial school, including a home school.   For purposes of this section, a student who attends a school that is   not formally organized as a high school and is at least 16 years of   age is considered to be attending a high school.          SECTION 4.  Section 56.013, Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          Sec. 56.013.  INFORMATION REGARDING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE   FUNDED FROM DESIGNATED TUITION. The Texas Higher Education   Coordinating Board shall post on the coordinating board's Internet   website and disseminate to each public or accredited private high   school in this state information regarding the financial assistance   available under this subchapter and shall include information   designed to educate high school students and the parents of those   students on available opportunities and required preparation with   respect to institutions of higher education. The coordinating   board shall recommend a method of delivery of the information to   parents and students under this section.          SECTION 5.  Section 56.304(a), Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (a)  To be eligible initially for a TEXAS grant, a person who   graduated from high school before May 1, 2013, must:                (1)  be a resident of this state as determined by   coordinating board rules;                (2)  meet either of the following academic   requirements:                      (A)  be a graduate of a public or accredited   private high school , or a graduate who presents evidence of   successful completion of a nontraditional secondary education, as   defined by Section 51.9241, in this state who graduated not earlier   than the 1998-1999 school year and who completed the recommended or   advanced high school curriculum established under Section 28.002 or   28.025 or its equivalent; or                      (B)  have received an associate degree from a   public or private institution of higher education not earlier than   May 1, 2001;                (3)  meet financial need requirements as defined by the   coordinating board;                (4)  be enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at   an eligible institution;                (5)  be enrolled as:                      (A)  an entering undergraduate student for at   least three-fourths of a full course load for an entering   undergraduate student, as determined by the coordinating board, not   later than the 16th month after the date of the person's graduation   from high school; or                      (B)  an entering student for at least   three-fourths of a full course load for an undergraduate student as   determined by the coordinating board, not later than the 12th month   after the month the person receives an associate degree from a   public or private institution of higher education;                (6)  have applied for any available financial aid or   assistance; and                (7)  comply with any additional nonacademic   requirement adopted by the coordinating board under this   subchapter.          SECTION 6.  Section 56.3041(a), Education Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (a)  To be eligible initially for a TEXAS grant, a person   graduating from high school on or after May 1, 2013, and enrolling   in an eligible institution must:                (1)  be a resident of this state as determined by   coordinating board rules;                (2)  meet the academic requirements prescribed by   Paragraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) as follows:                      (A)  be a graduate of a public or accredited   private high school , or a graduate who presents evidence of   successful completion of a nontraditional seconda [Text truncated for display. 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