By: Gallegos S.C.R. No. 172 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The Legislature of the State of Texas is concerned 1-2 that over 48 percent of Texas Hispanic students drop out of school 1-3 by the ninth grade; and 1-4 WHEREAS, The illiteracy rate in Texas is at an unacceptably 1-5 high level compared with per capita expense for public education; 1-6 and 1-7 WHEREAS, In Texas, more than 26 percent of public school 1-8 students are in special education classes, with a similar percent 1-9 labeled as educationally disabled; and 1-10 WHEREAS, The consequences of illiteracy are tragic for the 1-11 individual who cannot read, costly for the state because of lost 1-12 tax revenues and welfare costs, and expensive for businesses who 1-13 must provide remedial education; and 1-14 WHEREAS, More than 50 years of medical and behavioral science 1-15 research have confirmed that learning to read is a skill which must 1-16 be taught in a direct, systematic way; and 1-17 WHEREAS, By teaching phonics in both English and Spanish, 1-18 bilingual students experience a strong synergy between both 1-19 languages; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Experts have recommended that: 1-21 (1) Texas colleges and universities be required to offer one 1-22 year of instruction in direct, systematic, and intensive phonics; 1-23 (2) credit hours earned from completion of these courses be 2-1 a requirement for all Texas students who major in reading and 2-2 language instruction; and 2-3 (3) documentation of completion of college or university 2-4 courses in the teaching of phonics in the described way be required 2-5 for all Texas teachers who are assigned to teach reading or 2-6 language arts, regardless of their major field of study; now, 2-7 therefore, be it 2-8 RESOLVED, That the Texas Senate Committee on Education and 2-9 the Texas House of Representatives Committee on Public Education 2-10 study these suggestions and report back to the 75th Legislature 2-11 when it convenes in January, 1997, on the results of their study.