By: Gallegos S.C.R. No. 171 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of Texas is concerned 1-2 that seven out of 10 special education students in Texas drop out 1-3 of school; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Eighty percent of all learning disabled students are 1-5 shown to have a weakness in reading; and 1-6 WHEREAS, The number of at-risk and minority students found to 1-7 have phonological awareness weaknesses is continually increasing in 1-8 Texas; and 1-9 WHEREAS, Phonological awareness is a major factor in the 1-10 acquisition of early reading skills; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Eighty-five to 90 percent of all students can be 1-12 measured for phonological awareness ability in first grade, and 1-13 phonological awareness can be measured in preliterate children; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Direct instruction in phonics and building 1-15 phonological awareness skills are shown to work in remediating 1-16 phonologically weak at-risk and minority students; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Experts have recommended the following requirements 1-18 be implemented: 1-19 (1) all Texas schoolchildren be measured for phonological 1-20 awareness by the end of kindergarten or the beginning of first 1-21 grade; 1-22 (2) all Texas schoolchildren be measured in first and second 1-23 grade for reading ability with a nationally recognized 2-1 norm-referenced reading test; 2-2 (3) all Texas colleges and universities offer classes in the 2-3 instruction of direct, systematic, intensive phonics; 2-4 (4) Texas bilingual teachers be required to teach their 2-5 students direct, systematic intensive phonics instruction in both 2-6 Spanish and English; and 2-7 (5) the effectiveness of this type of instruction be 2-8 measured by the use of a national norm-referenced test to assess 2-9 the reading ability of Texas bilingual children in grades one 2-10 through three; now, therefore, be it 2-11 RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate Committee on Education and 2-12 the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Public Education 2-13 study these suggestions and report back to the 75th Legislature in 2-14 January, 1997.