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Senate Bill 15 (2nd C.S.) |
Senate Author: Taylor et al. |
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Effective: 9-9-21 |
House Sponsor: Bell, Keith et al. |
Senate Bill 15 amends the Education Code to authorize a public school district or open‑enrollment charter school to provide off-campus electronic courses or an off‑campus or hybrid instructional program and to authorize, subject to certain conditions, the continued operation of a full-time virtual program that was operated during the 2020‑2021 school year. The bill provides for the inclusion of students enrolled in such courses and programs in the district's or charter school's average daily attendance count for state funding purposes.
Senate Bill 15 authorizes a district or charter school that meets a specified performance rating threshold to operate a local remote learning program. The bill sets out requirements for the program and for program courses, including requirements relating to the following:
· the inclusion of certain grade levels and subjects;
· the format of instruction;
· student eligibility, including an enrollment cap and provision for additional local criteria;
· student assessment, including the administration of statewide standardized tests;
· the removal of a student from virtual instruction;
· attendance monitoring and calculation of average daily attendance;
· restrictions on teacher assignments to the program;
· performance evaluation of a full-time program for accountability purposes; and
· other accountability-related district and campus reporting requirements.
Senate Bill 15 provides for the satisfaction of internship requirements for educator certification through a local remote learning program or the state virtual school network and requires the commissioner of education to establish an asynchronous progression funding method for certain special-purpose districts. The bill's provisions expire September 1, 2023.