1-1     By:  Ellis                                            S.B. No. 1379

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1997; March 19, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 21, 1997,

 1-4     reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 11, Nays 0; April 21, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1379                    By:  West

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to assessment of adult education programs and program

1-10     participants.

1-11           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

1-12           SECTION 1.  Section 29.252, Education Code, is amended to

1-13     read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 29.252.  STATE ROLE IN ADULT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION.

1-15     (a)  The agency shall:

1-16                 (1)  provide adequate staffing to develop, administer,

1-17     and support a comprehensive statewide adult education program and

1-18     coordinate related federal and state programs for education and

1-19     training of adults;

1-20                 (2)  develop, implement, and regulate a comprehensive

1-21     statewide program for community level education services to meet

1-22     the special needs of adults;

1-23                 (3)  develop the mechanism and guidelines for

1-24     coordination of comprehensive adult education and related skill

1-25     training services for adults with other agencies, both public and

1-26     private, in planning, developing, and implementing related

1-27     programs, including community education programs;

1-28                 (4)  administer all state and federal funds for adult

1-29     education and related skill training in this state, except in

1-30     programs for which another entity is specifically authorized to do

1-31     so under other law;

1-32                 (5)  prescribe and administer standards and accrediting

1-33     policies for adult education;

1-34                 (6)  prescribe and administer rules for teacher

1-35     certification for adult education;  [and]

1-36                 (7)  accept and administer grants, gifts, services, and

1-37     funds from available sources for use in adult education; and

1-38                 (8)  develop and administer a standardized assessment

1-39     mechanism for assessing all adult education program participants

1-40     who need literacy instruction, adult basic education, or secondary

1-41     education leading to an adult high school diploma or the

1-42     equivalent.

1-43           (b)  The assessment mechanism prescribed under Subsection

1-44     (a)(8) must include an initial basic skills screening instrument

1-45     and must provide comprehensive information concerning baseline

1-46     student skills before and student progress after participation in

1-47     an adult education program.

1-48           SECTION 2.  (a)  Not later than September 15, 1997, the Texas

1-49     Education Agency shall complete development of the initial basic

1-50     skills screening instrument component of the standardized

1-51     assessment mechanism  prescribed under Section 29.252, Education

1-52     Code, as amended by this Act.  Not later than January 1, 1998, the

1-53     Texas Education Agency shall implement the initial basic skills

1-54     screening instrument component.

1-55           (b)  Not later than July 1, 1998, the Texas Education Agency

1-56     shall complete development of the baseline student skills

1-57     assessment component of the standardized assessment mechanism

1-58     prescribed under Section 29.252, Education Code, as amended by this

1-59     Act.  Not later than September 1, 1998, the Texas Education Agency

1-60     shall implement the baseline student skills assessment component.

1-61           (c)  Not later than August 1, 1999, the Texas Education

1-62     Agency shall complete development of the student progress

1-63     assessment component of the standardized assessment mechanism under

1-64     Section 29.252, Education Code, as amended by this Act.  Not later

 2-1     than September 1, 1999, the Texas Education Agency  shall implement

 2-2     the student progress assessment component.

 2-3           SECTION 3.  Not later than September 1, 1998, the Texas

 2-4     Education Agency shall develop a comprehensive management

 2-5     information system to measure the progress of and results achieved

 2-6     by adult education programs by collecting individual student data

 2-7     concerning students in adult education programs, including

 2-8     assessment data.  The management information system must be

 2-9     compatible with any related system used by the Texas Workforce

2-10     Commission.

2-11           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-12     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-13     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-14     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-15     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

2-16     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

2-17     passage, and it is so enacted.

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