1-1     By:  Bivins                                           S.B. No. 1480

 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 1997; March 20, 1997, read

 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 8, 1997,

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

 1-5     following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 8, 1997, sent to printer.)

 1-6     COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1480                  By:  Bivins

 1-7                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-8                                   AN ACT

 1-9     relating to the diagnosis of reading development and comprehension

1-10     at certain grade levels in public school.

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

1-12           SECTION 1.  Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is

1-13     amended by adding Sections 28.006 and 28.007 to read as follows:

1-14           Sec. 28.006.  READING DIAGNOSIS.  (a)  The commissioner shall

1-15     develop recommendations for school districts for:

1-16                 (1)  administering reading instruments to diagnose

1-17     student reading development and comprehension;

1-18                 (2)  training educators in administering the reading

1-19     instruments; and

1-20                 (3)  applying the results of the reading instruments to

1-21     the instructional program.

1-22           (b)  The commissioner shall adopt a list of reading

1-23     instruments that a school district may use to diagnose student

1-24     reading development and comprehension.  District-level and

1-25     campus-level committees established under Subchapter F, Chapter 11,

1-26     may adopt a list of reading instruments in addition to the reading

1-27     instruments on the commissioner's list.  Each reading instrument

1-28     adopted by the commissioner or a district-level or campus-level

1-29     committee must be based on scientific research concerning reading

1-30     skills development and reading comprehension.  A list of reading

1-31     instruments adopted under this subsection must provide for

1-32     diagnosing the reading development and comprehension of students

1-33     participating in a program under Subchapter B, Chapter 29.

1-34           (c)  Each school district shall administer, at the

1-35     kindergarten and first and second grade levels, a reading

1-36     instrument on the list adopted by the commissioner or by the

1-37     district-level and campus-level committees.  The district shall

1-38     administer the reading instrument in accordance with the

1-39     commissioner's recommendations under Subsection (a)(1).

1-40           (d)  The superintendent of each school district shall report

1-41     to the board of trustees of the district the results of the reading

1-42     instruments.

1-43           (e)  The results of reading instruments administered under

1-44     this section may not be used for purposes of appraisals and

1-45     incentives under Chapter 21 or accountability under Chapter 39.

1-46           (f)  This section may be implemented only if state funds are

1-47     appropriated for administering the reading instruments.  State

1-48     funds may be used to pay the cost of administering a reading

1-49     instrument only if the instrument is on the list adopted by the

1-50     commissioner.

1-51           (g)  The commissioner shall adopt a list of reading

1-52     instruments and recommendations concerning those reading

1-53     instruments in accordance with this section not later than August

1-54     1, 1998.  Each school district shall implement a reading diagnosis

1-55     program in accordance with this section, and recommendations

1-56     adopted under this section, beginning with the 1998-1999 school

1-57     year.  This subsection expires January 1, 1999.

1-58           Sec. 28.007.  READING DIAGNOSIS INSTRUMENTS.  (a)  The

1-59     commissioner shall withhold from the total amount of funds

1-60     appropriated for allotments under Section 28.006 an amount

1-61     sufficient to finance reading diagnosis instruments as described in

1-62     that section.

1-63           (b)  In arriving at the total amount of funds to be withheld

1-64     under this section, the commissioner shall reduce each district's

 2-1     tier one allotments in the same manner described for a reduction in

 2-2     allotments under Section 42.253.

 2-3           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 2-4           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

 2-5     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-6     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-7     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-8     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.

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