By Horn                                         H.B. No. 2588

      75R8710 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to accountability of certain public school alternative

 1-3     education programs.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 39.072, Education Code, is amended by

 1-6     adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

 1-7           (d)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, the

 1-8     agency shall evaluate and report the performance of each off-campus

 1-9     discipline management alternative education program under Section

1-10     37.008 and each dropout recovery alternative education program

1-11     under Section 29.081 on the basis of the program's performance

1-12     under an accountability system developed for that purpose by the

1-13     commissioner that, as necessary to encourage improvements in

1-14     student performance  and to accurately measure the effectiveness of

1-15     the alternative education program, may measure program performance

1-16     in a manner other than the manner required under this chapter for a

1-17     campus providing a regular education program.

1-18           SECTION 2.  The commissioner shall develop an alternative

1-19     accountability system in accordance with Section 39.072(d),

1-20     Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 1,

1-21     1998.  That alternative accountability system shall be used to

1-22     evaluate and report the performance of each off-campus discipline

1-23     management alternative education program under Section 37.008,

1-24     Education Code, and each dropout recovery alternative education

 2-1     program under Section 29.081, Education Code, beginning with the

 2-2     1997-1998 school year.

 2-3           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-4     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-5     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-6     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-7     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 2-8     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 2-9     passage, and it is so enacted.