DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION PLAN; REPORT.

(a) To serve students who require developmental education in an effective and cost-effective manner, the board shall develop a statewide plan for developmental education to be provided under Subchapter F-1, Chapter 51, that:

(1) assigns primary responsibility for developmental education to public junior colleges, public state colleges, and public technical institutes; and

(2) provides for using technology, to the greatest extent practicable consistent with best practices, to provide developmental education to students.

(b) In developing the developmental education plan, the board shall:

(1) research relevant issues related to developmental education;

(2) study and develop best practices for successful developmental education programs, including through use of pilot programs; and

(3) assess various methods of providing developmental education to students to determine which methods, if any, should be implemented on a statewide basis.

(c) Developmental education under the plan must include:

(1) technological delivery of developmental education courses that allows students to complete course work;

(2) diagnostic assessments to determine a student's specific educational needs to allow for appropriate developmental instruction;

(3) modular developmental education course materials;

(4) use of tutors and instructional aides to supplement developmental education course instruction as needed for particular students;

(5) an internal monitoring mechanism to identify a student's area of academic difficulty;

(6) periodic updates of developmental education course materials; and

(7) assessments after completion of a developmental education course to determine a student's readiness to enroll in freshman-level academic courses.

(d) The developmental education plan must provide for:

(1) ongoing training for developmental education program faculty members, tutors, and instructional aides at the institutions or other locations where those persons provide instruction; and

(2) ongoing research and improvement of appropriate developmental education programs, including participation by a group of institution of higher education faculty members selected by the board, to:

(A) monitor results of the programs;

(B) identify successful and unsuccessful program components; and

(C) identify possible solutions to program problems.