Bill Text: TX SB1486 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to requirements regarding public school accountability.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-22 - Referred to Education [SB1486 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SB1486-Introduced.html
82R10371 EAH-D | ||
By: West | S.B. No. 1486 |
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relating to requirements regarding public school accountability. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Chapter 39, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
Subchapter A to read as follows: | ||
SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS | ||
Sec. 39.001. NOTICE AND REPORTS TO PARENTS PROVIDED | ||
ELECTRONICALLY. (a) A school district or open-enrollment charter | ||
school may provide any notice or report to a parent of a student | ||
required under this chapter by e-mail if the parent provides an | ||
e-mail address and requests information to be delivered | ||
electronically. | ||
(b) The district or charter school may provide a form to a | ||
parent when the student is registered that allows the parent to | ||
provide an e-mail address and signify that the parent chooses to | ||
receive notices electronically. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 39.023, Education Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subsections (a), (c), and (c-3) and adding Subsections | ||
(a-2), (c-7), and (c-8) to read as follows: | ||
(a) The agency shall adopt or develop appropriate | ||
criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess | ||
essential knowledge and skills in reading, writing, mathematics, | ||
social studies, and science. Except as provided by Subsection | ||
(a-2), all [ |
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under Subsection (b) or (l) or exempted under Section 39.027, shall | ||
be assessed in: | ||
(1) mathematics, annually in grades three through | ||
seven without the aid of technology and in grade eight with the aid | ||
of technology on any assessment instrument that includes algebra; | ||
(2) reading, annually in grades three through eight; | ||
(3) writing, including spelling and grammar, in grades | ||
four and seven; | ||
(4) social studies, in grade eight; | ||
(5) science, in grades five and eight; and | ||
(6) any other subject and grade required by federal | ||
law. | ||
(a-2) A student in grade eight who is enrolled in a | ||
secondary-level course and administered the end-of-course | ||
assessment instrument for that course as required by Subsection (c) | ||
is not required to be assessed in the same content area as required | ||
by Subsection (a). This subsection is subject to approval by the | ||
secretary of the United States Department of Education for | ||
compliance with the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of | ||
2001 (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.). | ||
(c) The agency shall also adopt end-of-course assessment | ||
instruments for secondary-level courses in Algebra I, Algebra II, | ||
geometry, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, English II, | ||
English III, world geography, world history, and United States | ||
history. The Algebra I, Algebra II, and geometry end-of-course | ||
assessment instruments must be administered with the aid of | ||
technology. A school district shall comply with State Board of | ||
Education rules regarding administration of the assessment | ||
instruments listed in this subsection [ |
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is in a special education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, | ||
the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee shall | ||
determine whether any allowable modification is necessary in | ||
administering to the student an assessment instrument required | ||
under this subsection. The State Board of Education shall | ||
administer the assessment instruments. The State Board of | ||
Education shall adopt a schedule for the administration of | ||
end-of-course assessment instruments that complies with the | ||
requirements of Subsection (c-3). | ||
(c-3) In adopting a schedule for the administration of | ||
assessment instruments under this section, the State Board of | ||
Education shall: | ||
(1) require: | ||
(A) [ |
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under Subsection (a) to be administered on a schedule so that the | ||
first assessment instrument is administered at least two weeks | ||
later than the date on which the first assessment instrument was | ||
administered under Subsection (a) during the 2006-2007 school year; | ||
and | ||
(B) [ |
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end-of-course assessment instruments under Subsection (c) to occur | ||
in each school district not earlier than the first full week in May, | ||
except that the spring administration of the end-of-course | ||
assessment instruments in English I, English II, and English III | ||
must be permitted to occur at an earlier date; and | ||
(2) coordinate with the College Board to ensure that | ||
end-of-course assessment instruments under Subsection (c) are not | ||
administered on the same date as any advanced placement test | ||
administered by the College Board. | ||
(c-7) The agency shall conduct a study to evaluate the | ||
methods of and determine the costs associated with administering | ||
end-of-course assessment instruments to students who complete | ||
courses on a schedule different from the regular school year, | ||
including self-paced courses, courses for credit recovery, or | ||
compressed virtual courses. The agency must include in the study an | ||
evaluation of the administration of end-of-course assessment | ||
instruments through the use of computer technology and an Internet | ||
website. Not later than January 1, 2013, the agency shall submit to | ||
the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of | ||
representatives, and the presiding officer of each legislative | ||
standing committee with primary jurisdiction over primary and | ||
secondary education a written report that contains recommendations | ||
on methods of administering end-of-course assessment instruments | ||
to students who complete courses on a nontraditional schedule and | ||
the costs associated with those methods. This subsection expires | ||
September 1, 2013. | ||
(c-8) The agency shall conduct a study to evaluate the | ||
impact on student performance and determine the cost savings | ||
associated with reducing the number of end-of-course assessment | ||
instruments required for graduation to one in each of the four | ||
content areas of English, mathematics, science, and social studies. | ||
Not later than January 1, 2013, the agency shall submit to the | ||
governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of | ||
representatives, and the presiding officer of each legislative | ||
standing committee with primary jurisdiction over primary and | ||
secondary education a written report that contains recommendations | ||
on reducing the number of end-of-course assessment instruments | ||
required for graduation and the impact on student performance and | ||
the cost savings associated with the reduction. This subsection | ||
expires September 1, 2013. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 39.0234(a), Education Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(a) The agency shall ensure that assessment instruments | ||
required under Section 39.023 are capable of being administered by | ||
computer. The commissioner may not require a school district or | ||
open-enrollment charter school to administer an assessment | ||
instrument, including an assessment instrument administered under | ||
Section 39.023(l), by computer. | ||
SECTION 4. Section 39.025, Education Code, is amended by | ||
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-4) to read as | ||
follows: | ||
(a) The commissioner shall adopt rules requiring a student | ||
participating in the recommended or advanced high school program to | ||
be administered each end-of-course assessment instrument listed in | ||
Section 39.023(c) and requiring a student participating in the | ||
minimum high school program to be administered an end-of-course | ||
assessment instrument listed in Section 39.023(c) [ |
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the foundation curriculum under Section 28.002(a)(1), a cumulative | ||
score that is at least equal to the product of the number of | ||
end-of-course assessment instruments administered to the student | ||
in that subject and a scale score that indicates satisfactory | ||
performance, as determined by the commissioner under Section | ||
39.0241(a). A student must achieve a minimum score as determined by | ||
the commissioner to be within a reasonable range of the scale score | ||
under Section 39.0241(a) on an end-of-course assessment instrument | ||
for the score to count towards the student's cumulative score. For | ||
purposes of this subsection, a student's cumulative score is | ||
determined using the student's highest score on each end-of-course | ||
assessment instrument administered to the student. A student may | ||
not receive a high school diploma until the student has performed | ||
satisfactorily on the end-of-course assessment instruments in the | ||
manner provided under this subsection. This subsection does not | ||
require a student to demonstrate readiness to enroll in an | ||
institution of higher education. | ||
(a-4) The commissioner shall adopt rules to establish | ||
uniform requirements for students participating in the minimum high | ||
school program to be administered appropriate end-of-course | ||
assessment instruments listed in Section 39.023(c). The rules must | ||
provide for the uniform requirements for administration of | ||
end-of-course assessment instruments adopted under this subsection | ||
to apply to students participating in the minimum high school | ||
program and entering the ninth grade beginning with the 2012-2013 | ||
school year. | ||
SECTION 5. Subchapter C, Chapter 39, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 39.0541 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 39.0541. PRELIMINARY NOTICE OF PERFORMANCE RATING. | ||
The commissioner shall adopt rules to provide for sending, as soon | ||
as practicable, a preliminary notice to: | ||
(1) each school district regarding the district's | ||
accreditation status under Section 39.052 and performance rating | ||
under Section 39.054; and | ||
(2) each campus regarding the campus's performance | ||
rating under Section 39.054. | ||
SECTION 6. Section 39.109, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 39.109. ACQUISITION OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. (a) If | ||
a district or campus is required under this chapter to acquire | ||
professional services, including a monitor, conservator, | ||
management team, campus intervention team, technical assistance | ||
team, or other professional services described by Subsection (b), | ||
the commissioner or the district, as appropriate, shall make a | ||
reasonable effort to acquire those services from available, | ||
qualified professionals employed by the district. | ||
(b) In addition to other interventions and sanctions | ||
authorized under this subchapter, the commissioner may order a | ||
school district or campus to acquire professional services at the | ||
expense of the district or campus to address the applicable | ||
financial, assessment, data quality, program, performance, or | ||
governance deficiency. The commissioner's order may require the | ||
district or campus to: | ||
(1) select or be assigned an external auditor, data | ||
quality expert, professional authorized to monitor district | ||
assessment instrument administration, or curriculum or program | ||
expert; or | ||
(2) provide for or participate in the appropriate | ||
training of district staff or board of trustees members in the case | ||
of a district, or campus staff, in the case of a campus. | ||
SECTION 7. Not later than January 1, 2012, the commissioner | ||
shall adopt rules to establish uniform requirements for students | ||
participating in the minimum high school program to be administered | ||
appropriate end-of-course assessment instruments as provided by | ||
Section 39.025(a-4), as added by this Act. | ||
SECTION 8. 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, 2011. |