Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
By Berlanga, Jones of Dallas H.B. No. 926
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to intensive reading instruction for certain public school
1-3 students.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 29, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-6 Subchapter J to read as follows:
1-7 SUBCHAPTER J. INTENSIVE READING PROGRAMS
1-8 Sec. 29.351. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "student in
1-9 need of intensive reading instruction" means a student:
1-10 (1) in kindergarten or first or second grade who is at
1-11 risk of failing to perform satisfactorily on the assessment
1-12 instrument in reading administered in third grade under Section
1-13 39.023(a), as determined by research-based diagnostic measures; or
1-14 (2) in third grade who did not perform satisfactorily
1-15 on the assessment instrument in reading administered under Section
1-16 39.023(a).
1-17 Sec. 29.352. INTENSIVE READING PROGRAM GRANT ACCOUNT.
1-18 (a) The intensive reading program grant account consists of money
1-19 appropriated for intensive reading programs in public schools under
1-20 this subchapter.
1-21 (b) The agency may accept private donations for deposit into
1-22 the account.
1-23 (c) The agency shall administer the account.
1-24 Sec. 29.353. GRANTS. Each year, the commissioner shall make
2-1 grants from the intensive reading program grant account to eligible
2-2 school districts. A school district may use a grant under this
2-3 subchapter only to provide intensive reading instruction to
2-4 students in need of such instruction.
2-5 Sec. 29.354. ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION. (a) To be eligible
2-6 for a grant under this subchapter, a school district must submit an
2-7 application to the commissioner for funding of an intensive reading
2-8 program that meets guidelines adopted by the commissioner.
2-9 (b) The commissioner shall adopt research-based guidelines
2-10 that require a school district applying for a grant to demonstrate
2-11 that:
2-12 (1) the district has used research-based diagnostic
2-13 measures to identify students in need of intensive reading
2-14 instruction;
2-15 (2) the district's proposed intensive reading program
2-16 will include assessment of the reading proficiency of each student
2-17 receiving instruction under the program both before and after the
2-18 student participates in the program;
2-19 (3) the proposed program will provide instruction that
2-20 supplements services the district is already providing to students
2-21 in need of intensive reading instruction;
2-22 (4) the district has adopted a policy to ensure that
2-23 each student promoted from the third grade is able to read at grade
2-24 level;
2-25 (5) the proposed program ensures that educators
2-26 providing intensive reading instruction are adequately trained; and
2-27 (6) the proposed program provides for parental
2-28 involvement in the program's implementation.
2-29 (c) In developing and applying the research-based
2-30 guidelines, the commissioner shall encourage innovation. The
3-1 guidelines may not prescribe a particular reading methodology or
3-2 curriculum.
3-3 (d) The commissioner shall approve or disapprove each
3-4 application and shall notify the school district of the
3-5 commissioner's decision.
3-6 Sec. 29.355. AMOUNT OF GRANT. A district whose application
3-7 for a grant under this subchapter is approved is entitled to a
3-8 grant determined by the formula:
3-10 where:
3-11 "G" is the amount of the grant;
3-12 "AA" is the amount available in the intensive reading program
3-13 grant account for the school year;
3-14 "SF" is the number of students in the state who, in the
3-15 preceding school year, failed to perform satisfactorily on the
3-16 third grade assessment instrument in reading administered under
3-17 Section 39.023(a); and
3-18 "SIRI" is the number of students who will receive intensive
3-19 reading instruction under the grant.
3-20 Sec. 29.356. GRANT RENEWAL. (a) The commissioner may renew
3-21 a grant under this subchapter for the following school year.
3-22 (b) The commissioner may renew a school district's grant
3-23 only if:
3-24 (1) students participating in the district's intensive
3-25 reading program demonstrate substantial progress in reading
3-26 proficiency; and
3-27 (2) the district reports to the commissioner the
3-28 program characteristics identified by the educators providing the
3-29 intensive reading instruction as the probable causes of the
3-30 program's success.
4-1 Sec. 29.357. PROGRAM EVALUATION. The agency shall annually
4-2 evaluate the effectiveness of intensive reading instruction
4-3 programs for which grants are made under this subchapter. The
4-4 agency shall disseminate to school districts information showing
4-5 which intensive reading instruction programs are most effective.
4-6 SECTION 2. Subsection (a), Section 39.182, Education Code,
4-7 is amended to read as follows:
4-8 (a) The agency shall prepare and deliver to the governor,
4-9 the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
4-10 representatives, each member of the legislature, the Legislative
4-11 Budget Board, and the clerks of the standing committees of the
4-12 senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
4-13 the public school system a comprehensive report covering the
4-14 preceding two school years and containing:
4-15 (1) an evaluation of the achievements of the state
4-16 educational program in relation to the statutory goals for the
4-17 public education system under Section 4.002;
4-18 (2) an evaluation of the status of education in the
4-19 state as reflected by the academic excellence indicators adopted
4-20 under Section 39.051;
4-21 (3) a summary compilation of overall student
4-22 performance on academic skills assessment instruments required by
4-23 Section 39.023, aggregated by grade level, subject area, campus,
4-24 and district, with appropriate interpretations and analysis and
4-25 disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status;
4-26 (4) an evaluation of the correlation between student
4-27 grades and student performance on academic skills assessment
4-28 instruments required by Section 39.023;
4-29 (5) a statement of the dropout rate of students in
4-30 grade levels 7 through 12, expressed in the aggregate and by grade
5-1 level;
5-2 (6) a statement of the projected cross-sectional and
5-3 longitudinal dropout rates for grade levels 7 through 12 for the
5-4 next five years, assuming no state action is taken to reduce the
5-5 dropout rate;
5-6 (7) a description of a systematic plan for reducing
5-7 the projected cross-sectional and longitudinal dropout rates to
5-8 five percent or less for the 1997-1998 school year;
5-9 (8) a summary of the information required by Section
5-10 29.083 regarding grade level retention of students;
5-11 (9) a list of each school district or campus that does
5-12 not satisfy performance standards, with an explanation of the
5-13 actions taken by the commissioner to improve student performance in
5-14 the district or campus and an evaluation of the results of those
5-15 actions;
5-16 (10) an evaluation of the status of the curriculum
5-17 taught in public schools, with recommendations for legislative
5-18 changes necessary to improve or modify the curriculum required by
5-19 Section 28.002;
5-20 (11) a description of all funds received by and each
5-21 activity and expenditure of the agency;
5-22 (12) a summary and analysis of the compliance of
5-23 school districts with administrative cost ratios set by the
5-24 commissioner under Section 42.201, including any improvements and
5-25 cost savings achieved by school districts;
5-26 (13) a summary of the effect of deregulation,
5-27 including exemptions and waivers granted under Section 7.056 or
5-28 39.112;
5-29 (14) a statement of the total number and length of
5-30 reports that school districts and school district employees must
6-1 submit to the agency, identifying which reports are required by
6-2 federal statute or rule, state statute, or agency rule, and a
6-3 summary of the agency's efforts to reduce overall reporting
6-4 requirements; [and]
6-5 (15) an evaluation of intensive reading programs for
6-6 which grants are made under Subchapter J, Chapter 29; and
6-7 (16) any additional information considered important
6-8 by the commissioner or the State Board of Education.
6-9 SECTION 3. Section 39.185, Education Code, is amended to
6-10 read as follows:
6-11 Sec. 39.185. INTERIM REPORT. Not later than December 1 of
6-12 each odd-numbered year, the agency shall prepare and deliver to the
6-13 governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
6-14 representatives, each member of the legislature, the Legislative
6-15 Budget Board, and the clerks of the standing committees of the
6-16 senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
6-17 the public school system an interim report containing, for the
6-18 previous school year, the information required by:
6-19 (1) Sections 39.182(a)(2), (3), (5), (6), (7), (9),
6-20 (11), [and] (13), and (15); and
6-21 (2) Section 39.183(2).
6-22 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
6-23 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
6-24 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-25 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-26 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-27 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.