HBA-JLV C.S.H.B. 2775 77(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2775 By: Deshotel Higher Education 4/16/2001 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) was created in 1987 as an instructional program designed to ensure that students attending public institutions of higher education (institution) in Texas have the academic skills necessary to perform effectively in college-level work. Students not yet proficient in an academic area are required to participate in developmental education activities. Institutions have recently asked for more flexibility in applying TASP rules to their students. The institutions expressed concern that different students have different needs and the institutions would prefer to address those needs in alternative ways than current TASP rules allow. The TASP test often proves burdensome for students who graduated from a public or an accredited private high school before successful completion of the TASP test was a requirement of all students to enroll in an institution. C.S.H.B. 2775 provides an exemption from the TASP test for students who have graduated from a public or an accredited private high school at least 10 years before the date of the student's enrollment at an institution. 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 C.S.H.B. 2775 amends the Education Code to provide that a student is exempt from the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test if the student graduated from a public or an accredited private high school at least 10 years before the date of the student's enrollment at an institution of higher education (institution). A student is authorized to voluntarily take the TASP test. Unless a student's TASP test results indicate that developmental education is not necessary or a student is exempt from taking the TASP test, the institution shall require the student to successfully complete developmental courses or other developmental programs, but may not require the student on successful completion of those courses or programs to take the TASP test. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 2775 modifies the original to expand the exemption of a student from the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test to a student who has graduated from an accredited private high school in this state or a public or private high school outside this state at least 10 years before the date of the student's enrollment at an institution of higher education (institution). The substitute authorizes a student to voluntarily take the TASP test. The substitute requires, rather than authorizes, an institution to require a student to successfully complete developmental courses or other developmental programs, unless the student's TASP test results indicate that developmental education is not necessary or the student is exempt from taking the TASP test.