SRC-SLL, JJJ S.B. 877 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Senate Research Center S.B. 877 76R7319 ESH-DBy: Shapiro Education 4/27/1999 As Filed DIGEST Currently, school districts receive performance accreditation ratings based on student scores on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test (TASS). The school districts receive one of four performance accreditation ratings: exemplary, recognized, academically acceptable, or academically unacceptable. Some of the accountability rating standards are scheduled to increase every year until 2000. For instance, the 1994-1995 standard to be "academically acceptable" required only 25 percent of students to pass the TASS. The standard has risen to 40 percent and will continue to rise by five percent annually until the year 2000. At that time, at least 50 percent of all students must pass the TASS if a district is to receive an "academically acceptable" rating. However, that means a district in which 50 percent of the students fail the TASS would be rated "academically acceptable." S.B. 877 would increase the minimum percentage of students required to pass the TASS for a district or campus to be rated as "academically acceptable." PURPOSE As proposed, S.B. 877 establishes certain conditions pertaining to accreditation and rating standards for public school districts and schools. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY This bill does not grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 39.024, Education Code, to amend the heading and Subsection (a), as follows: Sec. 39.024. New heading: SATISFACTORY AND ACADEMICALLY RECOGNIZED PERFORMANCE. Requires the State Board of Education to determine the level of performance considered to be academically recognized on the assessment instrument. SECTION 2. Amends Section 39.051(c), Education Code, to require the state standard to provide that to be eligible for a district performance rating of academically acceptable or a campus performance rating of acceptable, at least 70 percent of the students for which results are disaggregated must perform satisfactorily on the assessment instrument administered. SECTION 3. Amends Section 39.053(a), Education Code, to make a conforming change. SECTION 4. Amends Section 39.072, Education Code, by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (d), to require the rules adopted under Subsection (a) to provide that to be eligible for a performance rating of recognized or exemplary, at least a minimum percent of students must demonstrate academically recognized performance on the assessment instruments administered. SECTION 5. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 6. Provides that Section 39.051(c), Education Code, applies beginning with the 20052006 school year. Requires the commissioner of education, beginning with the 2005-2006 school year, to incrementally raise the level of overall student performance on the assessment instruments administered that is necessary for a district performance rating of academically acceptable or a campus performance rating of acceptable from the level established for the 1998-1999 school year. SECTION 7. Emergency clause.