SRC-AMY S.B. 396 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 396
78R2395 SLO-DBy: Shapleigh
Education
3/6/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, Texas' school children are not all moving successfully through
the school system into institutions of higher learning, as is evidenced by
algebra pass rates, high school dropout rates, and the percent of Texans
entering institutions of higher learning.  Recent breakthroughs in
neuroscience and brain plasticity research indicate that technology offers
significant promise for removing barriers and increasing students'
opportunity to learn.  More efficient than computer labs, which are not
cost effective and lack a focus on critical technical and analytical
skills, is a one-to-one wireless laptop environment. Such an environment
increases attendance, class participation, and achievement rates;
decreases dropout rates; and stimulates students' quest for knowledge.  As
proposed, S.B. 396 establishes a Technology Immersion Pilot Program, in
which as many as five school districts would participate with, depending
upon available funding, all or a portion of students at pilot schools
receiving laptops.  This bill also requires the establishment of teams in
participating districts to oversee and evaluate the project. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Education Agency in
SECTION 1 (Section 32.151, Education Code) of this bill. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 32, Education Code, by adding Subchapter D, as
follows: 

SUBCHAPTER D. TECHNOLOGY IMMERSION PILOT PROJECT

Sec. 32.151. ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROJECT.  Requires the Texas Education
Agency (TEA) to establish, by rule, the technology immersion pilot project
to accomplish certain goals. 

Sec. 32.152. PILOT PROJECT ADMINISTRATION.  Requires TEA to establish and
develop procedures and criteria, respectively, to administer the pilot
project and to perform certain functions in administering the project. 

Sec. 32.153. PILOT PROJECT FUNDING.  (a) Authorizes TEA to obtain funds
from the telecommunications infrastructure fund for the pilot project. 

(b) Requires TEA to spend pilot project funds on certain items and
activities. 

(c)  Prohibits TEA from allocating more than $1 million per participating
school. 

Sec. 32.154. DISTRICT OR SCHOOL SELECTION. (a) Authorizes a school
district to apply to TEA for a technology immersion pilot project for the
entire district, a particular school, or group of schools. 

 (b) Requires TEA to select participating schools and districts based on
need. Establishes certain criteria TEA is required to consider. 

(c) Requires TEA, if possible, to select at least five schools to
participate in the pilot project, with at least one project including
grades 6-12. Requires TEA to  select at least one entire school district
and one entire school in another district to participate in the pilot
project. 

Sec. 32.155.  COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL PIPELINE PROGRESS TEAM. (a) Requires
each participating school district or school to establish a  community
educational pipeline progress team (team). 

(b) Requires the board of trustees of a participating school district, or
of a district in which a participating school is located, to appoint the
team members. Establishes certain types of individuals authorized to serve
on the team. 

(c) Requires the team to develop an academic improvement plan detailing
how the pilot project should be implemented in the participating school or
school district. Requires certain issues be considered in developing the
plan. 

(d) Requires the team to recommend to the board how to use the funds in
implementing the academic improvement plan, and authorizes the team to
recommend changes in the plan annually. Requires TEA to approve the plan,
or any changes, before disbursing funds to the board. 

(e) Requires the board of trustees of each participating district to send
an annual progress report to TEA not later than August 1 each year the
district participates in the pilot project. Specifies certain information
required to be in the report. 

Sec. 32.156. COMPUTER RETENTION. Authorizes each participating student to
keep the laptop computer provided under the pilot project as long as the
student is enrolled in a participating school district. Authorizes the
student to keep the laptop after the project expires. 

Sec. 32.157. PILOT PROJECT EVALUATION; EXPIRATION. (a) Requires TEA to
review the three-year pilot project, based on participating school
districts' annual reports, after its expiration, and to include the
evaluation in its annual report covering the 2006-2007 school year. 

(b) Provides that this subchapter expires on August 31, 2007. 

SECTION 2.  Requires TEA to adopt rules to implement Chapter 32D,
Education Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 1, 2004, and
to make the pilot project available for participation beginning with the
2004-2005 school year. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 2003.