By: Bivins S.B. No. 1480
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to the diagnosis of reading development and comprehension
1-2 at certain grade levels in public school.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
1-5 amended by adding Sections 28.006 and 28.007 to read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 28.006. READING DIAGNOSIS. (a) The commissioner shall
1-7 develop recommendations for school districts for:
1-8 (1) administering reading instruments to diagnose
1-9 student reading development and comprehension;
1-10 (2) training educators in administering the reading
1-11 instruments; and
1-12 (3) applying the results of the reading instruments to
1-13 the instructional program.
1-14 (b) The commissioner shall adopt a list of reading
1-15 instruments that a school district may use to diagnose student
1-16 reading development and comprehension. District-level and
1-17 campus-level committees established under Subchapter F, Chapter 11,
1-18 may adopt a list of reading instruments in addition to the reading
1-19 instruments on the commissioner's list. Each reading instrument
1-20 adopted by the commissioner or a district-level or campus-level
1-21 committee must be based on scientific research concerning reading
1-22 skills development and reading comprehension. A list of reading
1-23 instruments adopted under this subsection must provide for
2-1 diagnosing the reading development and comprehension of students
2-2 participating in a program under Subchapter B, Chapter 29.
2-3 (c) Each school district shall administer, at the
2-4 kindergarten and first and second grade levels, a reading
2-5 instrument on the list adopted by the commissioner or by the
2-6 district-level and campus-level committees. The district shall
2-7 administer the reading instrument in accordance with the
2-8 commissioner's recommendations under Subsection (a)(1).
2-9 (d) The superintendent of each school district shall report
2-10 to the board of trustees of the district the results of the reading
2-11 instruments.
2-12 (e) The results of reading instruments administered under
2-13 this section may not be used for purposes of appraisals and
2-14 incentives under Chapter 21 or accountability under Chapter 39.
2-15 (f) This section may be implemented only if state funds are
2-16 appropriated for administering the reading instruments. State
2-17 funds may be used to pay the cost of administering a reading
2-18 instrument only if the instrument is on the list adopted by the
2-19 commissioner.
2-20 (g) The commissioner shall adopt a list of reading
2-21 instruments and recommendations concerning those reading
2-22 instruments in accordance with this section not later than August
2-23 1, 1998. Each school district shall implement a reading diagnosis
2-24 program in accordance with this section, and recommendations
2-25 adopted under this section, beginning with the 1998-1999 school
3-1 year. This subsection expires January 1, 1999.
3-2 Sec. 28.007. READING DIAGNOSIS INSTRUMENTS. (a) The
3-3 commissioner shall withhold from the total amount of funds
3-4 appropriated for allotments under Section 42.152 an amount
3-5 sufficient to finance reading diagnosis instruments as described in
3-6 Section 28.006.
3-7 (b) In arriving at the total amount of funds to be withheld
3-8 under this section, the commissioner shall reduce each district's
3-9 tier one allotments in the same manner described for a reduction in
3-10 allotments under Section 42.253.
3-11 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.
3-12 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
3-13 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-14 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-15 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-16 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.