By Barrientos S.B. No. 176
75R3152 ESH-D
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) a student in third grade who did not perform
1-15 satisfactorily on the assessment instrument in reading administered
1-16 under Section 39.023(a).
1-17 Sec. 29.352. INTENSIVE READING PROGRAM REQUIRED. A school
1-18 district shall provide an intensive reading program for each
1-19 student in need of intensive reading instruction.
1-20 Sec. 29.353. INTENSIVE READING PROGRAM GRANT ACCOUNT. (a)
1-21 The intensive reading program grant account is in the general
1-22 revenue fund. The account consists of money appropriated for
1-23 intensive reading programs in public schools.
1-24 (b) The agency shall administer the account.
2-1 Sec. 29.354. GRANTS. Each year, the commissioner shall make
2-2 grants from the intensive reading grant account to eligible school
2-3 districts. A school district may use a grant under this subchapter
2-4 only to provide intensive reading instruction to students in need
2-5 of such instruction.
2-6 Sec. 29.355. ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION. (a) To be eligible
2-7 for a grant under this subchapter, a school district must submit an
2-8 application to the commissioner for funding of an intensive reading
2-9 program that meets guidelines adopted by the commissioner.
2-10 (b) The commissioner shall adopt guidelines that require a
2-11 school district applying for a grant to demonstrate 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
3-1 involvement in the program's implementation.
3-2 (c) In developing and applying the guidelines, the
3-3 commissioner shall encourage innovation. The guidelines may not
3-4 prescribe a particular reading methodology or curriculum.
3-5 (d) 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. 29.356. AMOUNT OF GRANT. A district whose application
3-9 for a grant under this subchapter is approved is entitled to a
3-10 grant determined by the formula:
3-12 where:
3-13 "G" is the amount of the grant;
3-14 "AA" is the amount available in the intensive reading program
3-15 grant account for the school year;
3-16 "SF" is the number of students in the state who, in the
3-17 preceding school year, failed to perform satisfactorily on the
3-18 third grade assessment instrument in reading administered under
3-19 Section 39.023(a); and
3-20 "SIRI" is the projected number of students in need of
3-21 intensive reading instruction in the district for the school year.
3-22 Sec. 29.357. GRANT RENEWAL. (a) The commissioner may renew
3-23 a grant under this subchapter for the following school year.
3-24 (b) The commissioner may renew a school district's grant
3-25 only if:
3-26 (1) students participating in the district's intensive
3-27 reading program demonstrate substantial progress in reading
4-1 proficiency; and
4-2 (2) the district reports to the commissioner the
4-3 program characteristics identified by the educators providing the
4-4 intensive reading instruction as the probable causes of the
4-5 program's success.
4-6 Sec. 29.358. PROGRAM EVALUATION. The agency shall annually
4-7 evaluate the effectiveness of intensive reading instruction
4-8 programs for which grants are made under this subchapter. The
4-9 agency shall disseminate to school districts information showing
4-10 which intensive reading instruction programs are most effective.
4-11 SECTION 2. Section 39.182(a), Education Code, is amended to
4-12 read as follows:
4-13 (a) The agency shall prepare and deliver to the governor,
4-14 the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
4-15 representatives, each member of the legislature, the Legislative
4-16 Budget Board, and the clerks of the standing committees of the
4-17 senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
4-18 the public school system a comprehensive report covering the
4-19 preceding two school years and containing:
4-20 (1) an evaluation of the achievements of the state
4-21 educational program in relation to the statutory goals for the
4-22 public education system under Section 4.002;
4-23 (2) an evaluation of the status of education in the
4-24 state as reflected by the academic excellence indicators adopted
4-25 under Section 39.051;
4-26 (3) a summary compilation of overall student
4-27 performance on academic skills assessment instruments required by
5-1 Section 39.023, aggregated by grade level, subject area, campus,
5-2 and district, with appropriate interpretations and analysis and
5-3 disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic status;
5-4 (4) an evaluation of the correlation between student
5-5 grades and student performance on academic skills assessment
5-6 instruments required by Section 39.023;
5-7 (5) a statement of the dropout rate of students in
5-8 grade levels 7 through 12, expressed in the aggregate and by grade
5-9 level;
5-10 (6) a statement of the projected cross-sectional and
5-11 longitudinal dropout rates for grade levels 7 through 12 for the
5-12 next five years, assuming no state action is taken to reduce the
5-13 dropout rate;
5-14 (7) a description of a systematic plan for reducing
5-15 the projected cross-sectional and longitudinal dropout rates to
5-16 five percent or less for the 1997-1998 school year;
5-17 (8) a summary of the information required by Section
5-18 29.083 regarding grade level retention of students;
5-19 (9) a list of each school district or campus that does
5-20 not satisfy performance standards, with an explanation of the
5-21 actions taken by the commissioner to improve student performance in
5-22 the district or campus and an evaluation of the results of those
5-23 actions;
5-24 (10) an evaluation of the status of the curriculum
5-25 taught in public schools, with recommendations for legislative
5-26 changes necessary to improve or modify the curriculum required by
5-27 Section 28.002;
6-1 (11) a description of all funds received by and each
6-2 activity and expenditure of the agency;
6-3 (12) a summary and analysis of the compliance of
6-4 school districts with administrative cost ratios set by the
6-5 commissioner under Section 42.201, including any improvements and
6-6 cost savings achieved by school districts;
6-7 (13) a summary of the effect of deregulation,
6-8 including exemptions and waivers granted under Section 7.056 or
6-9 39.112;
6-10 (14) a statement of the total number and length of
6-11 reports that school districts and school district employees must
6-12 submit to the agency, identifying which reports are required by
6-13 federal statute or rule, state statute, or agency rule, and a
6-14 summary of the agency's efforts to reduce overall reporting
6-15 requirements; [and]
6-16 (15) an evaluation of intensive reading programs for
6-17 which grants are made under Subchapter J, Chapter 29; and
6-18 (16) any additional information considered important
6-19 by the commissioner or the State Board of Education.
6-20 SECTION 3. Section 39.185, Education Code, is amended to
6-21 read as follows:
6-22 Sec. 39.185. INTERIM REPORT. Not later than December 1 of
6-23 each odd-numbered year, the agency shall prepare and deliver to the
6-24 governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
6-25 representatives, each member of the legislature, the Legislative
6-26 Budget Board, and the clerks of the standing committees of the
6-27 senate and house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
7-1 the public school system an interim report containing, for the
7-2 previous school year, the information required by:
7-3 (1) Sections 39.182(a)(2), (3), (5), (6), (7), (9),
7-4 (11), [and] (13), and (15); and
7-5 (2) Section 39.183(2).
7-6 SECTION 4. A school district shall provide an intensive
7-7 reading program as required by Section 29.352, Education Code, as
7-8 added by this Act, beginning with the 1998-1999 school year.
7-9 SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
7-10 SECTION 6. The importance of this legislation and the
7-11 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-12 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-13 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-14 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.