By Maxey                                         H.B. No. 582

      75R3930 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to state-adopted prereading and reading assessment

 1-3     instruments administered to public school students.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 39.023(a), Education Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           (a)  The agency shall adopt appropriate criterion-referenced

 1-8     assessment instruments designed to assess competencies in reading,

 1-9     writing, mathematics, social studies, and science.  All nonexempt

1-10     students shall be assessed in:

1-11                 (1)  prereading, in kindergarten;

1-12                 (2)  reading [and mathematics], annually in grades one

1-13     [three] through eight;

1-14                 (3)  mathematics, annually in grades three through

1-15     eight;

1-16                 (4) [(2)]  writing, in grades four and eight; and

1-17                 (5) [(3)]  social studies and science, at an

1-18     appropriate grade level determined by the State Board of Education.

1-19           SECTION 2.  This Act applies beginning with the 1997-1998

1-20     school year.

1-21           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

1-22     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

1-23     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

1-24     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-1     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 2-2     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 2-3     passage, and it is so enacted.