By Dutton H.B. No. 760 76R2453 ESH-F A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the establishment of basic skills academies in certain 1-3 school districts. 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. BASIC SKILLS ACADEMIES 1-8 IN CERTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS 1-9 Sec. 29.351. APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter 1-10 applies only to a school district with an enrollment of at least 1-11 190,000 students on the last day of the preceding school year. 1-12 Sec. 29.352. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "basic skills" 1-13 means reading, writing, and mathematics. 1-14 Sec. 29.353. BASIC SKILLS ACADEMIES REQUIRED. (a) A school 1-15 district shall establish a basic skills academy at each elementary 1-16 school that: 1-17 (1) has 20 or more students identified as eligible for 1-18 special education under Subchapter A; or 1-19 (2) is identified as low performing under Subchapter 1-20 D, Chapter 39. 1-21 (b) The academic program of a basic skills academy must 1-22 focus on basic skills. 1-23 (c) A basic skills academy shall serve students in grades 1-24 three through six. 2-1 Sec. 29.354. DIAGNOSTIC TESTING FOR BASIC SKILLS 2-2 PROFICIENCY; PLACEMENT IN BASIC SKILLS ACADEMY. (a) A school that 2-3 is required to have a basic skills academy shall administer a 2-4 diagnostic test to each student in the third grade to determine the 2-5 student's proficiency in basic skills. 2-6 (b) The agency shall establish a level of basic skills at 2-7 which each student in the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth grade must 2-8 be proficient. The board of trustees of a school district may 2-9 establish a level of basic skills that is different but not lower 2-10 than the level established by the agency. 2-11 (c) A school district shall place each student who does not 2-12 meet the applicable level of proficiency in basic skills in the 2-13 basic skills academy. 2-14 Sec. 29.355. PERIODIC TESTING OF STUDENTS IN BASIC SKILLS 2-15 ACADEMY. (a) A school district shall periodically test each 2-16 student in a basic skills academy to determine the student's 2-17 proficiency in basic skills. 2-18 (b) A school district shall return each student who meets 2-19 the applicable level of proficiency in basic skills to the regular 2-20 academic program. 2-21 Sec. 29.356. IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENTS IN BASIC SKILLS 2-22 ACADEMY. For purposes of accountability under Chapter 39, a school 2-23 district shall identify to the agency each student placed in a 2-24 basic skills academy. 2-25 Sec. 29.357. FUNDING OF BASIC SKILLS ACADEMY. (a) A school 2-26 district is entitled to state funding for basic skills academies in 2-27 addition to funding to which the district is entitled under Chapter 3-1 42. 3-2 (b) For each school year, a school district is entitled to 3-3 $4,000 in additional state funding for each student in a basic 3-4 skills academy. 3-5 (c) Funding under this section shall be derived from amounts 3-6 appropriated out of the net proceeds of the state lottery under 3-7 Chapter 466, Government Code. 3-8 Sec. 29.358. CONTRACT AUTHORITY. The board of trustees of a 3-9 school district may contract under Section 11.157 for the provision 3-10 of educational services to students placed in a basic skills 3-11 academy. 3-12 Sec. 29.359. EXPIRATION. This subchapter expires September 3-13 1, 2003. 3-14 SECTION 2. Section 39.053, Education Code, is amended by 3-15 adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows: 3-16 (a-1) The annual report of a school district to which 3-17 Subchapter J, Chapter 29, applies must include the performance 3-18 rating of each basic skills academy as provided under Section 3-19 39.072(d). This subsection expires September 1, 2003. 3-20 SECTION 3. Section 39.072, Education Code, is amended by 3-21 adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: 3-22 (d) The agency shall evaluate against state standards and 3-23 shall report the performance of each basic skills academy 3-24 established under Subchapter J, Chapter 29, on the basis of the 3-25 academy's performance on the indicators adopted under Sections 3-26 39.051(b)(1) through (3), (8), and (9). Notwithstanding Subsection 3-27 (c), the performance of a campus that has a basic skills academy is 4-1 not based on students placed in the basic skills academy. This 4-2 subsection expires September 1, 2003. 4-3 SECTION 4. Section 42.152, Education Code, is amended by 4-4 adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows: 4-5 (c-1) For purposes of Subsection (c), a basic skills academy 4-6 established under Subchapter J, Chapter 29, is considered to be an 4-7 accelerated instruction program under Section 29.081. This 4-8 subsection expires September 1, 2003. 4-9 SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 4-10 SECTION 6. Each school district to which Subchapter J, 4-11 Chapter 29, Education Code, applies shall establish basic skills 4-12 academies as required by that subchapter not later than the 4-13 beginning of the 2000-2001 school year. 4-14 SECTION 7. The importance of this legislation and the 4-15 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 4-16 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 4-17 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 4-18 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.