By Grusendorf, Burnam, Averitt H.B. No. 1144
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1144:
By Dunnam C.S.H.B. No. 1144
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to public school accountability.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 7, Education Code, is
1-5 amended by adding Section 7.006 to read as follows:
1-6 Sec. 7.006. COORDINATION OF RECORDS. The commissioner of
1-7 education and the commissioner of higher education shall ensure
1-8 that records relating to student performance held by the Texas
1-9 Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
1-10 are coordinated and maintained in standardized, compatible formats
1-11 that permit:
1-12 (1) the exchange of information between the agencies;
1-13 and
1-14 (2) the matching of individual student records so that
1-15 a student's academic performance may be assessed throughout the
1-16 student's educational career.
1-17 SECTION 2. Section 39.023, Education Code, is amended by
1-18 adding Subsection (d), amending Subsections (e) and (i) and adding
1-19 Subsection (j) to read as follows:
1-20 (d) The commissioner may participate in multistate efforts
1-21 to develop voluntary standardized end-of-course assessment
1-22 instruments. The commissioner by rule may require a school
1-23 district to administer an end-of-course assessment instrument
1-24 developed through the multistate efforts. The admission, review,
2-1 and dismissal committee of a student in a special education program
2-2 under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, shall determine whether any
2-3 allowable modification is necessary in administering to the student
2-4 an end-of-course assessment instrument or whether the student
2-5 should be exempted under Section 39.027(a)(2).
2-6 (e) Under rules adopted by the State Board of Education, the
2-7 agency shall release the questions and answer keys to each
2-8 assessment instrument administered under Subsection (a), (b), (c),
2-9 (d), or (l) after the last time the instrument is administered for
2-10 a school year. To ensure a valid bank of questions for use each
2-11 year, the agency is not required to release a question that is
2-12 being field-tested and was not used to compute the student's score
2-13 on the instrument. The agency shall also release, under board
2-14 rule, each question that is no longer being field-tested and that
2-15 was not used to compute a student's score.
2-16 (i) The provisions of this section, except Subsection (d),
2-17 are subject to modification by rules adopted under Section 39.022.
2-18 Each assessment instrument adopted under those rules and each
2-19 assessment instrument required under Subsection (d) must be
2-20 reliable and valid and must meet any applicable federal
2-21 requirements for measurement of student progress.
2-22 (j) The commissioner shall develop a standardized
2-23 end-of-course assessment instrument for Algebra I. The
2-24 commissioner by rule may require a school district to administer an
2-25 end-of-course assessment instrument in Algebra I. The admission,
2-26 review, and dismissal committee of a student in a special education
2-27 program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, shall determine whether any
3-1 allowable modification is necessary in administering to the student
3-2 an end-of-course assessment instrument or whether the student
3-3 should be exempted under Section 39.027(a)(2).
3-4 SECTION 3. (a) Subchapter D, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
3-5 amended by adding Section 39.0721 to read as follows:
3-6 Sec. 39.0721. VOLUNTARY GOLD PERFORMANCE RATING PROGRAM. (a)
3-7 In addition to district and campus performance ratings reported
3-8 under Section 39.072, the commissioner, in consultation with an
3-9 advisory committee appointed under this section, shall develop a
3-10 voluntary gold performance rating program based on enhanced
3-11 performance. The agency shall administer the program.
3-12 (b) Under the voluntary gold performance rating program, a
3-13 district or campus rated exemplary under Section 39.072 may apply
3-14 to the agency for an exemplary gold rating, a district or campus
3-15 rated recognized may apply for a recognized gold rating, and a
3-16 district or campus rated academically acceptable may apply for an
3-17 academically acceptable gold rating.
3-18 (c) The performance standards on which a voluntary gold
3-19 performance rating is based should include:
3-20 (1) student proficiency on:
3-21 (A) assessment instruments administered under
3-22 Sections 39.023(a), (c), and (l); and
3-23 (B) other measures of proficiency determined by
3-24 the commissioner;
3-25 (2) student performance on one or more nationally
3-26 recognized norm-referenced assessment instruments;
3-27 (3) improvement in student performance;
4-1 (4) in the case of middle or junior high school
4-2 campuses, student proficiency in mathematics, including algebra;
4-3 and
4-4 (5) in the case of high school campuses:
4-5 (A) the extent to which graduating students are
4-6 academically prepared to attend institutions of higher education;
4-7 and
4-8 (B) the percentage of students who take advanced
4-9 placement tests and student performance on those tests.
4-10 (d) The advisory committee assisting the commissioner in
4-11 developing the voluntary gold performance rating program consists
4-12 of seven members appointed by the commissioner as follows:
4-13 (1) two public school teachers;
4-14 (2) two public school administrators; and
4-15 (3) three persons with experience in the area of
4-16 public school accountability.
4-17 (e) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to
4-18 implement and administer this section, including rules establishing
4-19 a procedure and form a district or campus must use in applying to
4-20 the agency for a voluntary rating.
4-21 (b) Not later than March 1, 2002, the commissioner of
4-22 education shall appoint members to the advisory committee for the
4-23 voluntary gold performance rating program as provided by Section
4-24 39.0721(d), Education Code, as added by Subsection (a) of this
4-25 section.
4-26 (c) Not later than March 30, 2006, the commissioner of
4-27 education shall complete development of the voluntary gold
5-1 performance rating system as provided by Section 39.0721, Education
5-2 Code, as added by Subsection (a) of this section, and shall adopt
5-3 any rules necessary for implementation and administration of
5-4 Section 39.0721, Education Code.
5-5 (d) Beginning with the 2006-2007 school year or an earlier
5-6 school year, the Texas Education Agency shall implement the
5-7 voluntary gold performance rating program under Section 39.0721,
5-8 Education Code, as added by Subsection (a) of this section.
5-9 SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
5-10 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
5-11 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
5-12 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
5-13 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.