By:  Olivo                                                        H.B. No. 3410



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to district accreditation standards                                  
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 39.072, Education Code, is amended to 
read as follows:   
	(a)  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to 
evaluate the performance of school districts and to assign to each 
district a performance rating as follows:
		(1)  exemplary (meets or exceeds state exemplary 
standards);                
		(2)  recognized (meets or exceeds required improvement 
and within 10 percent of state exemplary standards);
		(3)  academically acceptable (below the exemplary and 
recognized standards but exceeds the academically unacceptable 
standards); or
		(4)  academically unacceptable (below the state 
clearly unacceptable performance standard and does not meet 
required improvement).
	(b)  The academic excellence indicators adopted under 
Sections 39.051(b)(1) through (7) and the district's current 
special education compliance status with the agency shall be the 
main considerations of the agency in the rating of the district 
under this section.  Additional criteria in the rules may include 
consideration of:
		(1)  compliance with statutory requirements and 
requirements imposed by rule of the State Board of Education under 
specific statutory authority that relate to:
			(A)  reporting data through the Public Education 
Information Management System (PEIMS);
			(B)  the high school graduation requirements 
under Section 28.025; or      
			(C)  an item listed in Sections 
7.056(e)(3)(C)-(I) that applies to the district; and
		(2)  the effectiveness of the district's programs for 
special populations.  
	The agency shall evaluate against state standards and shall 
report the performance of each campus in a district and each 
open-enrollment charter school on the basis of the campus's 
performance on the indicators adopted under Sections 39.051(b)(1) 
through (7).
		(3)  the effectiveness of the district's career and 
technology programs.
	SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives 
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as 
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this 
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this 
Act takes effect September 1, 2003.