HBA-DMH S.B. 824 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 824 By: Truan Public Education 5/18/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE As the population of Texas becomes increasingly bilingual, there is a growing need for public schools to produce graduates who are literate in more than one language. Senate Bill 824 authorizes dual literacy programs for prekindergarten through grade 12. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the commissioner of education in SECTION 2 (Section 28.0051, Education Code) of this bill. ANALYSIS Senate Bill 824 amends the Education Code to provide that a dual literacy program of instruction, should be designed to produce students with a demonstrated mastery of the required curriculum in both English and Spanish. The bill requires the commissioner of education (commissioner) by rule to adopt: _minimum requirements for a dual literacy program implemented by a school district; _standards for evaluating the success of a dual literacy program and the performance of schools that implement a dual literacy program; and _standards for recognizing schools that offer an exceptional dual literacy program and students who successfully complete a dual literacy program. The bill provides that the rules adopted by the commissioner must first address the implementation of dual literacy programs in prekindergarten through third grade classes before addressing the dual literacy programs in grade levels 4 through 12. The bill authorizes a school district to implement a dual literacy program in a manner and at grade levels consistent with rules adopted by the commissioner. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001. The Act applies beginning with the 2001-2002 school year.