87R11351 ANG-F     By: Blanco S.B. No. 1703       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to continuing education for public school counselors and   the provision of postsecondary counseling by certain counselors at   public schools.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 21.054(f), Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (f)  Continuing education requirements for a counselor must   provide that at least 25 percent of training required every five   years include instruction regarding:                (1)  assisting students in developing high school   graduation plans;                (2)  implementing dropout prevention strategies;                (3)  informing students concerning:                      (A)  college admissions, including college   financial aid resources and application procedures; and                      (B)  career opportunities, including the   possibilities for local and regional employment;                (4)  counseling students concerning mental health   conditions and substance abuse, including through the use of   grief-informed and trauma-informed interventions and crisis   management and suicide prevention strategies; [and]                (5)  effective implementation of a comprehensive   school counseling program under Section 33.005;                (6)  implicit bias related to race and socioeconomic   status, including the historical tracking process by which students   of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds were placed on   certain academic tracks based on their perceived abilities,   interests, and expected career paths; and                (7)  methods for effectively integrating college,   career, and military readiness data into student advising.          SECTION 2.  Sections 33.007(a), (b), and (c), Education   Code, are amended to read as follows:          (a)  Each school counselor designated as a college readiness   counselor at an elementary, middle, or junior high school,   including an open-enrollment charter school offering those grades,   shall advise students and their parents or guardians regarding the   importance of postsecondary education, coursework designed to   prepare students for postsecondary education, and financial aid   availability and requirements.          (b)  During the first school year a student is enrolled in a   high school or at the high school level in an open-enrollment   charter school, and again during each year of a student's   enrollment in high school or at the high school level, a school   counselor designated as a college readiness counselor shall provide   information about postsecondary education to the student and the   student's parent or guardian. The information must include   information regarding:                (1)  the importance of postsecondary education;                (2)  the advantages of earning an endorsement and a   performance acknowledgment and completing the distinguished level   of achievement under the foundation high school program under   Section 28.025;                (3)  the disadvantages of taking courses to prepare for   a high school equivalency examination relative to the benefits of   taking courses leading to a high school diploma;                (4)  financial aid eligibility;                (5)  instruction on how to apply for federal financial   aid;                (6)  the center for financial aid information   established under Section 61.0776;                (7)  the automatic admission of certain students to   general academic teaching institutions as provided by Section   51.803;                (8)  the eligibility and academic performance   requirements for the TEXAS Grant as provided by Subchapter M,   Chapter 56;                (9)  the availability of programs in the district under   which a student may earn college credit, including advanced   placement programs, dual credit programs, joint high school and   college credit programs, and international baccalaureate programs;                (10)  the availability of education and training   vouchers and tuition and fee waivers to attend an institution of   higher education as provided by Section 54.366 for a student who is   or was previously in the conservatorship of the Department of   Family and Protective Services; and                (11)  the availability of college credit awarded by   institutions of higher education to veterans and military   servicemembers for military experience, education, and training   obtained during military service as described by the informational   materials developed under Section 302.0031(h), Labor Code.          (c)  At the beginning of grades 10 and 11, a school counselor   certified under the rules of the State Board for Educator   Certification and designated as a college readiness counselor shall   explain the requirements of automatic admission to a general   academic teaching institution under Section 51.803 to each student   enrolled in a high school or at the high school level in an   open-enrollment charter school who has a grade point average in the   top 25 percent of the student's high school class.          SECTION 3.  This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022   school year.          SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives   a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as   provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this   Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this   Act takes effect September 1, 2021.