Enrolled Bill Summary

            The Education Code allows limited English proficiency (LEP) students whose primary language is Spanish to be tested using a Spanish language version of the statewide Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test, while other LEP students and recent unschooled immigrants may receive a temporary exemption. Senate Bill 676 amends the Education Code to allow a LEP student to take the Spanish language test for up to three years and to exempt a LEP student for up to one year after first entering school in the United States if the student has not demonstrated a certain level of English proficiency, and for up to two additional years if the student is a recent unschooled immigrant or is in a grade for which no test is available in the student's primary language. The bill requires an exempted student to take the TAAS test once that level of English proficiency is achieved.

            The bill requires the commissioner of education to develop, by rule, procedures under which a district's language proficiency assessment committee must determine which students are exempt from the TAAS test. The rules must ensure that a committee provides for administration of the TAAS test or the exit-level TAAS test to exempted students as soon as practicable. It also adds the percentage of TAAS-exempt LEP students as a public school accountability system indicator.

            Senate Bill 676 applies beginning with the 2001-2002 school year.