BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 424

By: King, Ken

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been noted that there is a need for the State Board of Education (SBOE) to review and revise the essential knowledge and skills for the foundation curriculum and that the instructional materials and technology allotment should be more flexible as public school districts comply with evolving curriculum requirements. C.S.H.B. 424 seeks to require the SBOE to conduct such a review and revision and to ensure that the SBOE adopts instructional materials in a manner that offers districts flexibility in spending the instructional materials and technology allotment.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 424 amends the Education Code to require the State Board of Education (SBOE) to conduct a review of the essential knowledge and skills for the foundation curriculum and, as necessary, revise the essential knowledge and skills to narrow the number and scope of student expectations for each subject and grade level. The bill requires the scope of the essential knowledge and skills for each subject and grade level to be more narrow than the scope of the essential knowledge and skills adopted as of January 1, 2021, and to require less time for a demonstration of mastery than required for the essential knowledge and skills adopted as of that date. The bill requires the SBOE to do the following:

· consider, for each subject and grade level, the time a teacher would require to provide comprehensive instruction on a particular student expectation and the time a typical student would require to master a particular student expectation;

· determine whether, in light of such time considerations, each essential knowledge and skill of a subject can be comprehensively taught within the minimum amount of student instruction time required by law, not including the amount of time required for testing;

· determine whether the college and career readiness standards have been appropriately integrated in the essential knowledge and skills for each subject and grade level; and

· consider whether a statewide standardized test administered to a student adequately assesses a particular student expectation.

C.S.H.B. 424 requires the SBOE to ensure that any revision of the essential knowledge and skills for the foundation school curriculum performed before September 1, 2024, does not result in a need for the adoption of new instructional materials. That requirement expires September 1, 2025. The SBOE must adopt a schedule for continuing the review and revision of the essential knowledge and skills for each subject and grade level of the foundation curriculum.

C.S.H.B. 424 caps the total projected cost of instructional materials for which the SBOE may issue a proclamation requesting the production of such materials for a state fiscal biennium at 75 percent of the total amount used to fund the instructional materials and technology allotment for that biennium. The bill requires the SBOE, following the adoption of revised essential knowledge and skills for any subject, to determine whether issuance of a proclamation is necessary based on the significance of the changes to the essential knowledge and skills and prescribes the applicable calls for instructional materials the SBOE is required to issue if it determines such a proclamation is necessary.

C.S.H.B. 424 requires the SBOE, in determining the disbursement of money to the available school fund and the amount of that disbursement that will be used to fund the instructional materials and technology allotment for a state fiscal biennium, to consider the cost of all instructional materials and technology requirements for that biennium.

C.S.H.B. 424 repeals Sections 31.101(d) and (e), Education Code, which respectively do the following:

· require a public school district or open-enrollment charter school that selects instructional material that is not on the instructional materials list to use the selected material for the period of the review and adoption cycle the SBOE has established for the related subject and grade level; and

· authorize a district or charter school to cancel a subscription for approved subscription‑based or electronic instructional material and subscribe to new approved material before the end of the state contract period under certain conditions.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 424 differs from the original to make a technical correction.