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.