This website will be unavailable from Friday, April 26, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, April 29, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. due to data center maintenance.
79S30040 SLO-D
By: Branch H.B. No. 57
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to high school programs and the advancement of
college-readiness in secondary schools and institutions of higher
education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 28.008 and 28.009 to read as follows:
Sec. 28.008. ADVANCEMENT OF COLLEGE-READINESS IN HIGH
SCHOOL CURRICULUM. (a) To align the curriculum for grades nine
through 12 with higher education curriculum and expectations, the
commissioner and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by
rule shall establish vertical teams composed of high school
educators and institution of higher education faculty with
appropriate expertise.
(b) The vertical teams shall:
(1) recommend for approval by the commissioner and the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board college-readiness
standards and expectations that address what students must know and
be able to do to succeed in entry-level courses offered at
institutions of higher education;
(2) evaluate whether the high school curriculum
requirements under Section 28.002 serve to prepare students to
successfully perform college-level course work;
(3) develop instructional strategies for teaching
courses in the high school curriculum to prepare students to
successfully perform college-level course work; and
(4) jointly develop an English language arts course, a
mathematics course, a science course, and a social studies course,
including curriculum, professional development materials, and
online support materials, designed to be offered to students who
need additional assistance in preparing to successfully perform
college-level course work.
(c) The State Board of Education shall incorporate
college-readiness standards and expectations approved by the
commissioner and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
under Subsection (b) into the essential knowledge and skills
identified by the board under Section 28.002(c).
(d) The State Board of Education by rule shall provide that
each course developed under Subsection (b)(4) may be used to
fulfill high school graduation requirements for the recommended
high school program under Section 28.025(a).
(e) Not later than September 1, 2011, the vertical teams
shall complete the development of the courses under Subsection
(b)(4). The vertical teams shall develop the English language arts
course first, followed by the mathematics course, the science
course, and the social studies course, respectively. The English
language arts course must be developed by the vertical teams and
approved by the State Board of Education not later than June 1,
2009. The course must be available to high school students
beginning with the 2009 fall semester, with each subsequent course
becoming available each subsequent fall semester. This subsection
expires December 1, 2012.
Sec. 28.009. AVAILABILITY OF CERTAIN CORE POSTSECONDARY
COURSES IN DUAL CREDIT PROGRAM. (a) The State Board of Education
by rule shall provide for the core curriculum courses revised under
Section 61.822(a-1) to be offered in high schools through a dual
credit program.
(b) The agency shall coordinate with the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board as necessary in administering this
section.
SECTION 2. Section 28.025, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
(b-1) The State Board of Education by rule shall require
that:
(1) the curriculum requirements for the recommended
and advanced high school programs under Subsection (a) include a
requirement that students successfully complete four courses in
each subject of the foundation curriculum under Section
28.002(a)(1); and
(2) one or more courses offered in the required
curriculum for the recommended and advanced high school programs
include a research writing component.
SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 29.0822 to read as follows:
Sec. 29.0822. OPTIONAL FLEXIBLE SCHOOL DAY PROGRAM. (a)
Notwithstanding Section 25.081 or 25.082, a school district may
provide a flexible school day program for students in grades nine
through 12 who have dropped out of school or who are at risk of
dropping out of school as defined by Section 29.081.
(b) To enable a school district to provide a program under
this section that meets the needs of students described by
Subsection (a), a school district may:
(1) provide flexibility in the number of hours each
day a student attends;
(2) provide flexibility in the number of days each
week a student attends; or
(3) allow a student to enroll in less than or more than
a full course load.
(c) A course offered in a program under this section must
provide for at least the same number of instructional hours as
required for a course offered in a program that meets the required
minimum number of instructional days under Section 25.081 and the
required length of school day under Section 25.082.
(d) The commissioner may adopt rules for the administration
of this section. The commissioner shall calculate average daily
attendance for students served under this section. The
commissioner shall allow accumulations of hours of instruction for
students whose schedule would not otherwise allow full state
funding. Funding under this subsection shall be determined based
on the number of instructional days in the school district calendar
and a seven-hour school day, but attendance may be cumulated over a
school year, including any summer or vacation session. The
attendance of students who accumulate less than the number of
attendance hours required under this subsection shall be
proportionately reduced for funding purposes. The commissioner may
set maximum funding amounts for an individual course under this
section.
SECTION 4. Subchapter D, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 29.124 to read as follows:
Sec. 29.124. TEXAS GOVERNOR'S SCHOOLS. (a) In this
section, "public senior college or university" has the meaning
assigned by Section 61.003.
(b) A Texas governor's school is a summer residential
program for high-achieving high school students. A governor's
school program may include any or all of the following educational
curricula:
(1) mathematics and science;
(2) humanities; or
(3) leadership and public policy.
(c) A public senior college or university may apply to the
commissioner to administer a Texas governor's school program under
this section. The commissioner shall give preference to a public
senior college or university that applies in cooperation with a
nonprofit association. The commissioner shall give additional
preference if the nonprofit association receives private
foundation funds that may be used to finance the program.
(d) The commissioner may approve an application under this
section only if the applicant:
(1) applies within the period and in the manner
required by rule adopted by the commissioner;
(2) submits a program proposal that includes:
(A) a curriculum consistent with Subsection (b);
(B) criteria for selecting students to
participate in the program;
(C) a statement of the length of the program,
which must be at least three weeks; and
(D) a statement of the location of the program;
(3) agrees to use a grant under this section only for
the purpose of administering a program; and
(4) satisfies any other requirements established by
rule adopted by the commissioner.
(e) From funds appropriated to the agency, the commissioner
may make a grant in an amount not to exceed $750,000 each year to
public senior colleges or universities whose applications are
approved under this section to pay the costs of administering a
Texas governor's school program.
(f) The commissioner may adopt other rules necessary to
implement this section.
SECTION 5. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 39.0232 to read as follows:
Sec. 39.0232. USE OF END-OF-COURSE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT AS
PLACEMENT INSTRUMENT. To the extent practicable, the agency shall
ensure that any high school end-of-course assessment instrument
developed by the agency is developed in such a manner that the
assessment instrument may be used to determine the appropriate
placement of a student in a course of the same subject matter at an
institution of higher education.
SECTION 6. Subchapter F, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 39.113 and 39.114 to read as follows:
Sec. 39.113. RECOGNITION OF HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION AND
SUCCESS AND COLLEGE-READINESS PROGRAMS. (a) The agency shall:
(1) develop standards for evaluating the success and
cost-effectiveness of high school completion and success and
college-readiness programs;
(2) provide guidance for school districts and campuses
in establishing and improving high school completion and success
and college-readiness programs; and
(3) develop standards for selecting and methods for
recognizing school districts and campuses that offer exceptional
high school completion and success and college-readiness programs.
(b) The commissioner may adopt rules for the administration
of this section.
Sec. 39.114. HIGH SCHOOL ALLOTMENT. (a) For each student
in average daily attendance in grades nine through 12, a school
district is entitled to an annual allotment of $500.
(b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a school district
or campus must use funds allocated under this section to:
(1) implement or administer a college-readiness
program that provides academic support and instruction to prepare
underachieving students for entrance into an institution of higher
education;
(2) implement or administer a program that encourages
students to pursue advanced academic opportunities, including
early college high school programs and dual credit, advanced
placement, and international baccalaureate courses;
(3) implement or administer a program that provides
opportunities for students to take academically rigorous course
work, including four years of mathematics and four years of science
at the high school level;
(4) implement or administer a program, including
online course support and professional development, that aligns the
curriculum for grades six through 12 with postsecondary curriculum
and expectations; or
(5) implement or administer other high school
completion and success initiatives in grades six through 12
approved by the commissioner.
(c) A school district whose performance is recognized as
exceptional by the commissioner with regard to the district's
students' progress to postsecondary success may use funds allocated
under this section on any instructional program in grades six
through 12 other than an athletic program.
(d) The commissioner may adopt rules for the administration
of this section.
SECTION 7. Section 42.005(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) In this chapter, average daily attendance is:
(1) the quotient of the sum of attendance for each day
of the minimum number of days of instruction as described under
Section 25.081(a) divided by the minimum number of days of
instruction; [or]
(2) for a district that operates under a flexible year
program under Section 29.0821, the quotient of the sum of
attendance for each actual day of instruction as permitted by
Section 29.0821(b)(1) divided by the number of actual days of
instruction as permitted by Section 29.0821(b)(1); or
(3) for a district that operates under a flexible
school day program under Section 29.0822, the average daily
attendance as calculated by the commissioner in accordance with
Section 29.0822(d).
SECTION 8. Subchapter D, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 61.0761 and 61.0762 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.0761. P-16 COLLEGE-READINESS AND SUCCESS STRATEGIC
ACTION PLAN. (a) The P-16 Council established under Section 61.076
shall recommend to the commissioner of education and the board a
college-readiness and success strategic action plan to increase
student success and decrease the number of students enrolling in
developmental coursework in institutions of higher education. The
plan must include:
(1) definitions, as determined by the P-16 Council in
coordination with the State Board of Education, of the standards
and expectations for college-readiness that address the knowledge
and skills expected of students to perform successfully in
entry-level courses offered at institutions of higher education;
(2) a description of the components of a P-16
individualized graduation plan sufficient to prepare students for
college success;
(3) the manner in which the Texas Education Agency
should provide model curricula for use as a reference tool by school
district employees;
(4) recommendations to the Texas Education Agency, the
State Board of Education, and the board regarding strategies for
decreasing the number of students enrolling in developmental
coursework at institutions of higher education;
(5) recommendations to the State Board for Educator
Certification regarding changes to educator certification and
professional development requirements that contribute to the
ability of public school teachers to prepare students for higher
education; and
(6) any other elements that the commissioner of
education and the board suggest for inclusion in the plan.
(b) The commissioner of education and the board shall adopt
the college-readiness and success strategic action plan
recommended by the P-16 Council if the commissioner of education
and the board determine that the plan meets the requirements of this
section.
(c) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
the commissioner of education and the board shall submit a report to
the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
representatives, each member of the Legislative Budget Board, and
the members of the standing committees of the senate and house of
representatives with primary jurisdiction over the public school
system and higher education system describing progress in
implementing the college-readiness and success strategic action
plan.
(d) The commissioner of education and the board shall adopt
rules necessary to implement this section.
Sec. 61.0762. PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE STUDENT SUCCESS. To
implement the college-readiness and success strategic action plan
adopted under Section 61.0761 and to enhance the success of
students at institutions of higher education, the board by rule
shall develop:
(1) summer higher education bridge programs in the
subject areas of mathematics, science, and English language arts;
(2) incentive programs for institutions of higher
education that implement research-based, innovative developmental
education initiatives;
(3) financial assistance programs for educationally
disadvantaged students, as defined by Section 5.001, who take
college entrance and college-readiness assessment instruments; and
(4) professional development programs for faculty of
institutions of higher education on college-readiness standards
and the implications of such standards on instruction.
SECTION 9. Section 61.822, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (a-1) and (a-2) to read as follows:
(a-1) To improve student learning and reduce the cost of
course delivery, the board, with the assistance of the advisory
committees described by Subsection (a) and nonprofit organizations
with expertise in higher education course development, shall review
and adopt revisions of or additions to the curriculum and any online
support materials supplementing the curriculum of not more than 25
courses in which students may enroll to satisfy the recommended
core curriculum requirements.
(a-2) Not later than September 1, 2006, the board shall
begin reviewing and adopting revisions of or additions to the
curriculum and online support materials for courses in which
students may enroll to satisfy the recommended English language
arts core curriculum requirements, including composition, American
literature with a focus on textual analysis, and interdisciplinary
literature and American history. Not later than the 2009 fall
semester, the board shall make the revised curriculum and online
support materials for the English language arts courses described
by this subsection available to institutions of higher education.
Not later than September 1, 2011, the board shall complete its
review and revisions of and additions to courses selected under
Subsection (a-1). This subsection expires December 1, 2011.
SECTION 10. Not later than January 1, 2007, the State Board
of Education shall adopt rules as required by Section 28.025(b-1),
Education Code, as added by this Act. The rules shall require that
the curriculum requirements for the recommended and advanced high
school programs under that subsection apply to students entering
the ninth grade beginning with the 2007-2008 school year.
SECTION 11. Except as otherwise provided by this Act, this
Act applies beginning with the 2006-2007 school year.
SECTION 12. 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 on the 91st day after the last day of
the legislative session.