HBA-KDB H.B. 1946 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1946
By: Garcia
Higher Education
3/26/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

There is concern that colleges and universities place too much emphasis on
an applicant's standardized test scores in admitting or rejecting an
applicant.  Standardized testing results may be misleading as indicators of
potential college performance.  House Bill 1946 authorizes a general
academic teaching institution to only accord the applicant's performance on
a standardized test a weight of 20 percent or less in the overall decision
making process for admitting an applicant. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1946 amends the Education Code to prohibit a general academic
teaching institution (institution), for the undergraduate or postgraduate
admission of an applicant, from requiring an applicant to undertake a
standardized test as a sole determinant in deciding whether to admit or
reject the applicant.  The bill authorizes an institution to utilize an
applicant's performance on a standardized test as one of multiple factors
in such a decision and to only accord the applicant's performance on a
standardized test a weight of 20 percent or less in the overall decision
making process. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

Fall of 2002.