Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
By Greenberg H.B. No. 3053
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 grade or second grade who
1-11 is at risk of failing to perform satisfactorily on the assessment
1-12 instrument in reading administers 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. (a)
1-18 The intensive reading program grant account is in the Texas
1-19 Education Agency. The account consists of money appropriated for
1-20 intensive reading programs in public schools.
1-21 (b) The agency shall administer the account.
1-22 (c) The commissioner may use an amount to exceed 10 percent
1-23 of the total amount appropriated for intensive reading programs for
1-24 a year at the commissioner's discretion to address circumstances as
2-1 to which the commissioner has identified a need for reading
2-2 improvement, research, or development.
2-3 (d) The commissioner may use an amount not to exceed one
2-4 percent of the total amount appropriated for intensive reading
2-5 programs for a year to administer this section.
2-6 Sec. 29.353. GRANTS. (a) Each year, the commissioner shall
2-7 make grants from the intensive reading grant account to eligible
2-8 school districts. Not less than 85 percent of the total amount
2-9 appropriated for intensive reading programs for a year shall be
2-10 used by school districts to implement research-based intensive
2-11 reading programs, to purchase additional instructional or
2-12 diagnostic reading materials, or to provide related professional
2-13 development of educators.
2-14 (b) A school district may not use a grant under this
2-15 subchapter for a purpose not related to providing intensive reading
2-16 instruction to students in need of such instruction.
2-17 Sec. 29.354. ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION. (a) To be eligible
2-18 for a grant under this subchapter, a school district must submit an
2-19 application to the commission for funding of an intensive reading
2-20 program that meets guidelines adopted by the commissioner.
2-21 (b) The commissioner shall adopt guidelines that require a
2-22 school district applying for a grant to demonstrate that:
2-23 (1) the district has used research-based diagnostic
2-24 measures to identify students in need of intensive reading
2-25 instruction;
2-26 (2) the district's proposed intensive reading program
2-27 will include research-based assessment of the reading proficiency
2-28 of each student receiving instruction under the program both before
2-29 and after the student participates in the program;
2-30 (3) the proposed program will provide research-based
3-1 instruction that supplements services the district is already
3-2 providing to students in need of intensive reading instruction;
3-3 (4) the proposed program provides for parental
3-4 involvement in the program's implementation.
3-5 (c) The commissioner shall approve or disapprove each
3-6 application and shall notify the school district of the
3-7 commissioner's decision.
3-8 Sec. 29.355. PROGRAM EVALUATION. (a) The agency shall
3-9 annually evaluate the effectiveness of intensive reading
3-10 instruction programs for which grants are made under this
3-11 subchapter. The commissioner may use an amount not to exceed four
3-12 percent of the amount appropriated for intensive reading programs
3-13 for a year to evaluate the program.
3-14 SECTION 2. Section 39.182(a), Education Code, is amended to
3-15 read as follows:
3-16 (a) The agency shall prepare and deliver to the governor,
3-17 the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
3-18 representatives, each member of the legislature, the Legislative
3-19 Budget Board, and the clerks of the standing committee of the
3-20 senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
3-21 the public school system a comprehensive report covering the
3-22 preceding two school years and containing:
3-23 (1) an evaluation of the achievements of the state
3-24 educational program in relation to the statutory goals for the
3-25 public education system under Section 4.002;
3-26 (2) an evaluation of the status of education in the
3-27 state as reflected by the academic excellence indicators adopted
3-28 under Section 39.051;
3-29 (3) a summary compilation of overall student
3-30 performance on academic skills assessment instruments required by
4-1 section 39.023, aggregated by grade level, subject area, campus,
4-2 and district, with appropriate interpretations and analysis and
4-3 disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status;
4-4 (4) an evaluation of the correlation between student
4-5 grades and student performance on academic skills assessment
4-6 instruments required by Section 39.023;
4-7 (5) a statement of the dropout rate of students in
4-8 grade levels 7 through 12, expressed in the aggregate and by grade
4-9 level;
4-10 (6) a statement of the projected cross-sectional and
4-11 longitudinal dropout rates for grade levels 7 through 12 for the
4-12 next five years, assuming no state action is taken to reduce the
4-13 drop out rate;
4-14 (7) a description of a systematic plan for reducing
4-15 the projected cross-sectional and longitudinal dropout rates to
4-16 five percent or less for the 1997-1998 school year;
4-17 (8) a summary of the information required by Section
4-18 29.083 regarding grade level retention of students;
4-19 (9) a list of each school district or campus that does
4-20 not satisfy performance standards, with an explanation of the
4-21 actions taken by the commissioner to improve student performance in
4-22 the district or campus and an evaluation of the results of those
4-23 actions;
4-24 (10) an evaluation of the status of the curriculum
4-25 taught in public schools, with recommendations for legislative
4-26 changes necessary to improve or modify the curriculum required by
4-27 Section 28.002;
4-28 (11) a description of all funds received by and each
4-29 activity and expenditure of the agency;
4-30 (12) a summary and analysis of the compliance of
5-1 school districts with administrative cost ratios set by the
5-2 commissioner under Section 42.201, including any improvements and
5-3 cost savings achieved by school districts;
5-4 (13) a summary of the effect of deregulation,
5-5 including exemptions and waivers granted under Section 7.056 or
5-6 39.112;
5-7 (14) a statement of the total number and length of
5-8 reports that school districts and school district employees must
5-9 submit to the agency, identifying which reports are required by
5-10 federal statute or rule, state statute, or agency rule, and a
5-11 summary of the agency's efforts to reduce overall reporting
5-12 requirements; [and]
5-13 (15) an evaluation of intensive reading programs for
5-14 which grants are made under Subchapter J, Chapter 29; and
5-15 (16) any additional information considered important
5-16 by the commissioner or the State Board of Education.
5-17 SECTION 3. Section 39.185, Education Code, is amended to
5-18 read as follows:
5-19 Sec. 39.185. INTERIM REPORT. Not later than December 1 of
5-20 each odd-numbered year, the agency shall prepare and deliver to the
5-21 governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
5-22 representatives, each member of the legislature, the Legislative
5-23 Budget Board, and the clerks of the standing committees of the
5-24 senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
5-25 the public school system an interim report containing, for the
5-26 previous school year, the information required by:
5-27 (1) Sections 39.182(a)(2), (3), (5), (6), (7), (9),
5-28 (11), [and] (13), and (15); and
5-29 (2) Section 39.183(2).
5-30 SECTION 4. A school district shall provide an intensive
6-1 reading program as required by Section 29.352, Education Code, as
6-2 added by this Act, beginning with the 1998-1999 school year.
6-3 SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
6-4 SECTION 6. The importance of this legislation and the
6-5 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-6 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-7 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-8 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.