A bill to significantly change developmental education in Texas will become law soon.
The measure, HB 1244, authored by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio), passed both chambers in the last few days of the Regular Session and will be signed by the governor, absent unforeseen circumstances. The Senate sponsor is Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas). The final version was supported by the Texas Association of Community Colleges, as well as an assortment of business-oriented organizations.
Here's the "enrolled" version, passed in identical form by the House and Senate.
HB 1244 would require the Coordinating Board to prescribe a "single standard or set of standards for each assessment instrument designated by the agency to effectively measure student readiness as demonstrated by current research," according to the official analysis. Under current law, schools use a variety of assessment tools and exams. Presumably the new policy will allow more valid comparisons of colleges and their developmental education programs.
The bill prohibits an institution of higher education from adopting more stringent standards to assess a student's academic readiness than those adopted by the Coordinating Board. The bill also requires schools to offer any developmental education student a range of coursework "or instructional support that includes the integration of technology to efficiently address the particular developmental needs of the student." An earlier version of the bill mandated an option for students to enroll in online developmental programs on their own, but college leaders informed lawmakers that students who choose online study unilaterally tend to be less successful, according to recent studies.
HB 1244 requires colleges to base developmental education coursework on "research-based best practices" that include the following components:
- assessment
- differentiated placement and instruction
- faculty development
- support services
- program evaluation, including effectiveness and cost-efficiency
- integration of technology
- non-course-based developmental education
- course pairing with credit-bearing courses
The Coordinating Board, "in consultation with institutions, would also be required to provide professional development programs, including instruction in differentiated instruction methods designed to address student's diverse learning needs, for developmental education faculty and staff."
Furthermore, the bill would "require institutions to determine when a student is ready to perform freshman-level coursework using learning outcomes" developed by the Coordinating Board.
Finally, HB 1244 allows institutions to waive tuition and fees for a student who is "participating in an approved non-semester-length developmental education intervention."
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