HBA-MPM H.B. 1128 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1128 By: Cuellar Higher Education 2/22/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, persons are denied admission to graduate degree programs in law, medicine, and other professional fields because they do not meet admissions standards on testing instruments required for admission to the programs. H.B. 1128 creates a summer program to be administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that is designed to aid students who do not meet admission standards due to insufficient scores on these tests by providing them with special preparation in their relevant field of study. This bill requires the director of each program to admit students into the summer program who are unlikely to gain admission to a graduate program based on prior academic performance and standardized test scores. Furthermore, it requires the board, with a student's consent, to send an evaluation of the student's performance upon completion of the program to each institution of higher learning that offers a graduate program in the student's proposed field of study. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in SECTION 2 of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding Section 61.078, as follows: Sec. 61.078. ADMISSION TO PROFESSIONAL DEGREE PROGRAM BY PERFORMANCE. (a) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (board) to administer programs under this section to provide eligible persons an opportunity to gain admission to professional graduate degree programs by demonstrating the requisite skills and effort for success. Requires the board to offer a program at least once yearly for each major professional field, including law and medicine, for which one or more professional graduate degree programs are offered by one or more institutions of higher education. Provides that at least one program in each field be offered each summer. (b) Requires the board, in cooperation with institutions of higher education offering graduate degree programs, to: _determine the number and type of admission programs to be offered; _determine eligibility requirements for each program; _appoint a director of each program; _provide appropriate faculty, staff, and other necessary resources for the program; and _determine the location of each program. Requires the board, to the extent practicable, to rotate the location of admission programs among institutions of higher education with facilities to host a program to ensure regional accessibility to the programs by all state residents. (c) Requires the board to provide applications and eligibility criteria for each admission program to each institution of higher education no later than the 100th day before the last day for submitting an application to the program. Requires each institution to publicize the availability of the program and general application and eligibility information to its students. (d) Requires the director of each program to admit students whom the director determines have a reasonable chance to succeed, but who are unlikely to gain admission to a graduate degree program based solely on prior academic performance and standardized test scores. Authorizes the director, in considering applicants, to consider writing samples, employment, community, and extracurricular activities, and other relevant information. (e) Specifies that each admission program must consist of an intensive multi-week program designed to evaluate the suitability of each participant to a professional graduate degree program based upon the participant's performance. Sets forth specific program components, including an introduction to the coursework in the proposed field of study, an opportunity to develop basic academic skills, and an examination of the time, effort, and skills required for success. (f) Requires the board, at the completion of each program and with the student's consent, to send an evaluation of each student enrolled in the program to each institution of higher education that offers a professional graduate degree program in the student's proposed field of study and to any other institution designated by the student. Provides that the evaluation may be used by an institution of higher education in making admission decisions and awarding student financial aid. (g) Authorizes the board to use appropriations, gifts, or grants to fund the administration of this section. SECTION 2. Requires the board to adopt rules relating to the administration of this section, including the determination of eligibility criteria, no later than September 1, 1999. Requires the board to operate admission by performance programs in each major professional field of study, including law and medicine, beginning in the summer of 2000. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.