By Sadler                                       H.B. No. 2963

      75R9031 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the diagnosis of reading development and comprehension

 1-3     at certain grade levels in public school.

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

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is

 1-6     amended by adding Section 28.006 to read as follows:

 1-7           Sec. 28.006.  READING DIAGNOSIS.  (a)  The commissioner shall

 1-8     develop recommendations for school districts for:

 1-9                 (1)  administering reading instruments to diagnose

1-10     student reading development and comprehension;

1-11                 (2)  training educators in administering the reading

1-12     instruments; and

1-13                 (3)  applying the results of the reading instruments to

1-14     the instructional program.

1-15           (b)  The commissioner shall adopt a list of reading

1-16     instruments that a school district may use to diagnose student

1-17     reading development and comprehension.  District- and campus-level

1-18     committees established under Subchapter F, Chapter 11, may adopt a

1-19     list of reading instruments in addition to the reading instruments

1-20     on the commissioner's list.  Each reading instrument adopted by the

1-21     commissioner or a district- and campus-level committee must be

1-22     based on scientific research concerning reading skills development

1-23     and reading comprehension.

1-24           (c)  Each school district shall administer, at the

 2-1     kindergarten and first and second grade levels, a reading

 2-2     instrument on the list adopted by the commissioner or by the

 2-3     district- and campus-level committees.  The district shall

 2-4     administer the reading instrument in accordance with the

 2-5     commissioner's recommendations under Subsection (a)(1).

 2-6           (d)  The superintendent of each school district shall report

 2-7     to the board of trustees of the district the results of the reading

 2-8     instruments.

 2-9           (e)  The results of reading instruments administered under

2-10     this section may not be used for purposes of appraisals and

2-11     incentives under Chapter 21 or accountability under Chapter 39.

2-12           (f)  This section may be implemented only if state funds are

2-13     appropriated for administering the reading instruments.  State

2-14     funds may be used  to pay the cost of administering a reading

2-15     instrument only if the instrument is on the list adopted by the

2-16     commissioner.

2-17           (g)  The commissioner shall adopt a list of reading

2-18     instruments and recommendations concerning those reading

2-19     instruments in accordance with this section not later than August

2-20     1, 1998. Each school district shall implement a reading diagnosis

2-21     program in accordance with this section, and recommendations

2-22     adopted under this section, beginning with the 1998-1999 school

2-23     year. This subsection expires January 1, 1999.

2-24           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

2-25           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.