College Preparedness: The Problem in North Texas

In 2015, House Bill 5 went into effect and with that, college unpreparedness seemed to increase drastically. This mixed-methods study looks at the impact House Bill 5 had on total college unpreparedness and if it played a role in unpreparedness levels of students by race (White, Black, and Hispanic). The data shows that after implementation of House Bill 5, unpreparedness did significantly increase; however, it did not change the differentials by race. Unpreparedness was always greatest for the black population and that stayed the same. Interviews with high school personnel suggest that unpreparedness did not necessarily increase as a result of House Bill 5, but rather House Bill 5 put standards in place that had never existed before making it look like there was an increase. Overall, House Bill 5 did not negatively impact one race more than another and, according to interviews, it brought about several great things for education. It did, however, highlight the problem with unpreparedness in North Texas.