BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1302

By: Guillen

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Many students in Texas pursue academic achievements and challenges, such as early graduation, pre-advanced placement courses, advanced grade promotion, course credit by examination, and project-based learning. However, the public school accountability system does not account for those achievements in evaluating campuses and districts. H.B. 1302 seeks to address this issue by expanding indicators in the student achievement domain used to evaluate the performance of certain campuses and districts under the public school accountability system.

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

H.B. 1302 amends the Education Code to create, for purposes of the public school accountability system, a set of indicators in the student achievement domain for evaluating the performance of elementary, middle, and junior high school campuses and public school districts that include those campuses that accounts for students in the following categories:

· in grade seven or eight, complete a pre-advanced placement course or pre-international baccalaureate course;

· have been promoted to higher grade levels than the grade levels to which the students would ordinarily be assigned;

· are identified as gifted and talented and have been promoted to higher grade levels than the grade levels to which the students would ordinarily be assigned;

· have received credit by examination;

· are identified as gifted and talented and have received credit by examination; and

· complete not less than 10 project-based learning projects during a school year.

The bill creates an indicator in the student achievement domain for evaluating the performance of high school campuses and districts that include those campuses for students who have earned a diploma after not more than three and one-half years of high school attendance. The bill applies beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2021.