By Brown of Brazos H.B. No. 3136 76R8613 CAS-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to a school district's authority to require additional 1-3 assessment as a condition of transferring course credit under 1-4 certain circumstances. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is 1-7 amended by adding Section 28.026 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 28.026. LIMITING ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT AS A CONDITION 1-9 FOR COURSE CREDIT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. (a) A school 1-10 district may not require a student who transfers to a public school 1-11 in the district from a nonaccredited private school described by 1-12 Section 25.086(a)(1), including a parochial or home school, to 1-13 perform satisfactorily on an assessment instrument provided by the 1-14 district as a condition of transferring credit the student has 1-15 received for a course the student has satisfactorily completed as a 1-16 student at the private school if: 1-17 (1) the student provides the district with scores the 1-18 student has received on a nationally recognized norm-referenced 1-19 assessment instrument that demonstrates proficiency in the subject 1-20 matter of the course or with another nationally recognized 1-21 equivalent measure, including a transcript and portfolio describing 1-22 course content; and 1-23 (2) a student who transfers to a public school in the 1-24 district from an accredited private school described by Section 2-1 25.086(a)(1) is not required to perform satisfactorily on an 2-2 assessment instrument provided by the district as a condition of 2-3 transferring credit for a course. 2-4 (b) In this section: 2-5 (1) "Accredited private school" means a private school 2-6 accredited by an accrediting association recognized by the 2-7 commissioner to accredit private schools. 2-8 (2) "Nonaccredited private school" means a private 2-9 school that is not accredited by an accrediting association 2-10 recognized by the commissioner to accredit private schools. 2-11 SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 1999-2000 2-12 school year. 2-13 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 2-14 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-15 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-16 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-17 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 2-18 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 2-19 passage, and it is so enacted.