By:  Lucio                                                        S.B. No. 1749


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the assessment of the need and demand for adult 
education programs.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 29.252, Education Code, is amended to 
read as follows:   
	Sec. 29.252.  STATE ROLE IN ADULT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION.  
(a)  The agency shall:
		(1)  provide adequate staffing to develop, administer, 
and support a comprehensive statewide adult education program and 
coordinate related federal and state programs for education and 
training of adults;
		(2)  develop, implement, and regulate a comprehensive 
statewide program for community level education services to meet 
the special needs of adults;
		(3)  develop the mechanism and guidelines for 
coordination of comprehensive adult education and related skill 
training services for adults with other agencies, both public and 
private, in planning, developing, and implementing related 
programs, including community education programs;
		(4)  administer all state and federal funds for adult 
education and related skill training in this state, except in 
programs for which another entity is specifically authorized to do 
so under other law;
		(5)  prescribe and administer standards and 
accrediting policies for adult education;
		(6)  prescribe and administer rules for teacher 
certification for adult education;
		(7)  accept and administer grants, gifts, services, and 
funds from available sources for use in adult education; [and]
		(8)  adopt or develop and administer a standardized 
assessment mechanism for assessing all adult education program 
participants who need literacy instruction, adult basic education, 
or secondary education leading to an adult high school diploma or 
the equivalent; and
		(9)  develop and administer a mechanism for measuring 
the need and demand for adult education programs in this state and 
report the need and demand assessed by the mechanism to the 
legislature on an annual basis.
	(b)  The assessment mechanism prescribed under Subsection 
(a)(8) must include an initial basic skills screening instrument 
and must provide comprehensive information concerning baseline 
student skills before and student progress after participation in 
an adult education program.
	(c)  The mechanism prescribed under Subsection (a)(9) shall 
include a measurement of the number of individuals placed on wait 
lists for adult education programs.
	SECTION 2.  Not later than December 1, 2003, the Texas 
Education Agency shall complete development of the mechanism for 
measuring the need and demand for adult education programs in this 
state prescribed under Section 29.252, Education Code, as amended 
by this Act.
	SECTION 3.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act takes effect September 
1, 2003.