SRC-TAG S.B. 1789 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 1789
By: Williams
Education
4/2/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Currently, some believe that public schools are overemphasizing
standardized test results at the expense of a thorough and well-rounded
education.  As proposed, S.B. 1789 requires the commissioner of education
and State Board of Education to ensure that the state's public education
system is not solely or primarily based upon student scores on
standardized tests. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Chapter 39B, Education Code, by adding Section 39.0235,
as follows: 

Sec.  39.0235.  OVEREMPHASIS OF TESTING.  Requires the State Board of
Education (SBOE)) to develop guidelines for ensuring that public school
teachers do not overemphasize standardized testing at the expense of a
thorough and well-rounded education. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 11.202, Education Code, as follows:

(b)  Provides that Subsection (f), rather than Subsection (d), is an
exception to requiring the principal of a school to provide adequate
training and personnel assistance in order to meet certain requirements. 

(d)  Prohibits a school district from compensating a principal in a manner
that is   dependent, in whole or in part, on student performance on
assessment instruments established and administered under Chapter 39.
Prohibits  a school principal from  being subjected to an adverse
employment action on the sole basis of student performance on assessment
instruments established and administered under Chapter 39.  Defines
"adverse employment action." 

(e)  Requires a principal, to the extent possible, in exercising the
duties assigned under Subsections (b)(5) and (6) with respect to teachers,
to consider whether the teacher has substantially complied with the
guidelines developed by the SBOE under Section 39.0235, for ensuring that
teachers do not overemphasize standardized testing at the expense of a
thorough and well-rounded education. 

 (f)  Creates new subsection from existing text. 

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 11.253(d), Education Code, as follows:

(d)  Requires each improvement plan to incorporate the guidelines
developed by the SBOE under Section 39.0235 for ensuring that teachers do
not overemphasize standardized testing at the expense of a thorough and
well-rounded education. Redesignates Subdivisions (4)-(9) as (5)-(10). 

 SECTION 4.  Amends Section 21.357(a), Education Code, to require the
commissioner of education to design an objective system to evaluate
principals that is not solely or primarily based on student scores on
standardized test. 

SECTION 5.  Effective date: September 1, 2003.