BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 2124

By: Creighton

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Access to college, career, and military readiness and postsecondary credential completion begins with students taking advanced math in middle and high school. However, students who are capable of being successful in advanced math classes do not always choose to take them. Worse, some are even tracked away from these classes despite having a measured aptitude in upper elementary.

This gap between aptitude and access stands as a barrier to fulfilling the state's Build a Talent Strong Texas strategic plan, since access to advanced math courses creates stronger opportunities to increase postsecondary credential attainment and eventually attain living wages. Currently, math acceleration placement policies vary across Texas school districts. S.B. 2124 seeks to address this issue by providing for a consistent, statewide policy to ensure high-performing students are prepared to take Algebra I in eighth grade.

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 rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 2124 amends the Education Code to require each public school district and open-enrollment charter school, as soon as practicable after the bill's effective date, to develop an advanced mathematics program for middle school students that is designed to enable those students to enroll in Algebra I in eighth grade for purposes of increasing the number of students who complete advance mathematics courses in high school. The bill requires a district or charter school, under the program, to automatically enroll in an advanced mathematics course each sixth grade student who performed in the top 40 percent on the fifth grade mathematics statewide standardized test or on a local measure that includes the student's fifth grade class ranking or a demonstrated proficiency in the student's fifth grade mathematics coursework. The bill authorizes the parent or guardian of an eligible sixth grade student to opt the student out of automatic enrollment. The bill authorizes the commissioner of education to adopt rules to implement the advanced mathematics program.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2023.