HBA-KMH C.S.H.B. 2011 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2011
By: Cuellar
Higher Education
4/16/1999
Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) was developed after the 1987
legislative session.  It is a test that contains three sections: reading,
writing, and mathematics.  While one testing session last five hours, the
individual sections are not timed and students may work on the sections in
any order they choose.  C.S.H.B. 2011 requires the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board and the Texas Education Agency to give priority to the
payment of the cost of administering the TASP test to an eligible high
school student shown to be financially needy under the criteria established
by the board when developing a mechanism for payment of the cost of the
test if funds are appropriated for that purpose.  This bill also provides
that authorization from the student is necessary before the TASP test score
is reported to a school administrator.  Additionally, this bill requires
administering TASP in a time period that allows a student to complete the
test while working at the student's own pace.   

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. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 51.306(w), Education Code, requires the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board (board) and the Texas Education Agency
to give priority to the payment of the cost of administering the Texas
Academic Skills Program (TASP) test to an eligible high school student
shown to be financially needy under the criteria established by the board
when developing a mechanism for payment of the cost of the test if funds
are appropriated for that purpose.  Provides that authorization from the
student is necessary before the TASP test score is reported to a school
administrator. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 51.306, Education Code, by adding Subsection (x)
to provide that the test required by this section must be administered in a
time period that allows a student to complete the test while working at the
student's own reasonable pace.  Requires the board to prescribe the time
period for administering the test. 

SECTION 3.  Provides that the change in law made by Act take effect
beginning with the 1999 fall semester. 

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 2011 modifies the original in SECTION 1 (Section 51.306(w),
Education Code) by requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
(board) and Texas Education Association to give priority to the payment of
the cost of administering the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test to
an eligible high school student shown to be financially needy under the
criteria established, by the board when developing  a mechanism for payment
of the cost of the test if funds are appropriated for that purpose.  The
original required the board to bear the cost for a student shown to be
financially needy.  The substitute also provides that authorization from
the student is necessary before the TASP test score is reported to a school
administrator.