1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to assessment of adult education programs and program

 1-3     participants.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 29.252, Education Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 29.252.  STATE ROLE IN ADULT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION.

 1-8     (a)  The agency shall:

 1-9                 (1)  provide adequate staffing to develop, administer,

1-10     and support a comprehensive statewide adult education program and

1-11     coordinate related federal and state programs for education and

1-12     training of adults;

1-13                 (2)  develop, implement, and regulate a comprehensive

1-14     statewide program for community level education services to meet

1-15     the special needs of adults;

1-16                 (3)  develop the mechanism and guidelines for

1-17     coordination of comprehensive adult education and related skill

1-18     training services for adults with other agencies, both public and

1-19     private, in planning, developing, and implementing related

1-20     programs, including community education programs;

1-21                 (4)  administer all state and federal funds for adult

1-22     education and related skill training in this state, except in

1-23     programs for which another entity is specifically authorized to do

1-24     so under other law;

 2-1                 (5)  prescribe and administer standards and accrediting

 2-2     policies for adult education;

 2-3                 (6)  prescribe and administer rules for teacher

 2-4     certification for adult education; [and]

 2-5                 (7)  accept and administer grants, gifts, services, and

 2-6     funds from available sources for use in adult education; and

 2-7                 (8)  adopt or develop and administer a standardized

 2-8     assessment mechanism for assessing all adult education program

 2-9     participants who need literacy instruction, adult basic education,

2-10     or secondary education leading to an adult high school diploma or

2-11     the equivalent.

2-12           (b)  The assessment mechanism prescribed under Subsection

2-13     (a)(8) must include an initial basic skills screening instrument

2-14     and must provide comprehensive information concerning baseline

2-15     student skills before and student progress after participation in

2-16     an adult education program.

2-17           SECTION 2.  (a)  Not later than September 15, 1997, the Texas

2-18     Education Agency shall complete development of the initial basic

2-19     skills screening instrument component of the standardized

2-20     assessment mechanism prescribed under Section 29.252, Education

2-21     Code, as amended by this Act.  Not later than January 1, 1998, the

2-22     Texas Education Agency shall implement the initial basic skills

2-23     screening instrument component.

2-24           (b)  Not later than July 1, 1998, the Texas Education Agency

2-25     shall complete development of the baseline student skills

2-26     assessment component of the standardized assessment mechanism

2-27     prescribed under Section 29.252, Education Code, as amended by this

 3-1     Act.  Not later than September 1, 1998, the Texas Education Agency

 3-2     shall implement the baseline student skills assessment component.

 3-3           (c)  Not later than August 1, 1999, the Texas Education

 3-4     Agency shall complete development of the student progress

 3-5     assessment component of the standardized assessment mechanism under

 3-6     Section 29.252, Education Code, as amended by this Act.  Not later

 3-7     than September 1, 1999, the Texas Education Agency shall implement

 3-8     the student progress assessment component.

 3-9           SECTION 3.  Not later than September 1, 1998, the Texas

3-10     Education Agency shall develop a comprehensive management

3-11     information system to measure the progress of and results achieved

3-12     by adult education programs by collecting individual student data

3-13     concerning students in adult education programs, including

3-14     assessment data.  The management information system must be

3-15     compatible with any related system used by the Texas Workforce

3-16     Commission.

3-17           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

3-18     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

3-19     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

3-20     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-21     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

3-22     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

3-23     passage, and it is so enacted.

         _______________________________     _______________________________

             President of the Senate              Speaker of the House

               I certify that H.B. No. 1640 was passed by the House on May

         2, 1997, by a non-record vote; and that the House concurred in

         Senate amendments to H.B. No. 1640 on May 22, 1997, by a non-record

         vote.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Chief Clerk of the House

               I certify that H.B. No. 1640 was passed by the Senate, with

         amendments, on May 20, 1997, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays

         0.

                                             _______________________________

                                                 Secretary of the Senate

         APPROVED:  _____________________

                            Date

                    _____________________

                          Governor