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79R4569 SLO-D
By: Luna H.B. No. 779
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to bilingual education and special language programs in
public schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 28.006(j), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(j) No more than 15 percent of the funds certified by the
commissioner under Subsection (i) may be spent on indirect costs.
The commissioner shall evaluate the programs that fail to meet the
standard of performance under Section 39.051(b)(9) [39.051(b)(7)]
and may implement sanctions under Subchapter G, Chapter 39. The
commissioner may audit the expenditures of funds appropriated for
purposes of this section. The use of the funds appropriated for
purposes of this section shall be verified as part of the district
audit under Section 44.008.
SECTION 2. Section 29.056(g), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(g) A district may transfer a student of limited English
proficiency out of a bilingual education or special language
program for the first time or a subsequent time if the student is
able to participate equally in a regular all-English instructional
program as determined by:
(1) tests administered at the end of each school year
to determine the extent to which the student has developed oral and
written language proficiency and specific language skills in both
the student's primary language and English;
(2) satisfactory performance on the reading or English
language arts assessment instrument, as applicable, under Section
39.023(a), with the assessment instrument administered in English,
or, if the student is enrolled in the first or second grade, an
achievement score at or above the 40th percentile in the reading and
language arts sections of an English standardized test approved by
the agency; and
(3) other indications of a student's overall progress,
including criterion-referenced test scores, subjective teacher
evaluation, and parental evaluation.
SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 29.0561 to read as follows:
Sec. 29.0561. CONSIDERATION; REENROLLMENT. (a) For the
first two school years after a student is transferred out of a
bilingual education or special language program under Section
29.056(g), the language proficiency assessment committee shall
consider:
(1) the total amount of time the student has been
enrolled in a bilingual education or special language program;
(2) the student's grades each grading period in each
subject in the foundation curriculum under Section 28.002(a)(1);
(3) the student's performance on each assessment
instrument required under Section 39.023(a) or (c);
(4) the number of credits toward high school
graduation the student has earned, as applicable; and
(5) any disciplinary actions taken against the student
under Subchapter A, Chapter 37.
(b) If, during any grading period during the first two
school years after a student is transferred out of a bilingual
education or special language program under Section 29.056(g), the
student earns a failing grade in a subject in the foundation
curriculum under Section 28.002(a)(1), the language proficiency
assessment committee shall reevaluate the student to determine if
the student should reenroll in the bilingual education or special
language program. Based on the reevaluation, the committee may
arrange for intensive instruction for the student or may reenroll
the student in the program.
SECTION 4. Subchapter B, Chapter 29, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 29.065 and 29.066 to read as follows:
Sec. 29.065. MEASURE OF PROGRESS TOWARD ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PROFICIENCY. The commissioner by rule shall develop a longitudinal
measure of progress toward English language proficiency under which
a student of limited English proficiency is evaluated from the time
the student enters public school until, for two consecutive school
years, the child scores at a specific level determined by the
commissioner on the reading or English language arts assessment
instrument, as applicable, under Section 39.023(a). The
commissioner shall:
(1) as part of the measure of progress, include
student advancement from one proficiency level to a higher level
under the reading proficiency in English assessment system
developed under Section 39.027(e) and from the highest level under
that assessment system to the level determined by the commissioner
under this section on the reading or English language arts
assessment instrument, as applicable, under Section 39.023(a); and
(2) to the extent practicable in developing the
measure of progress, use applicable research and analysis done in
developing an annual measurable achievement objective as required
by Section 3122, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Section
6842).
Sec. 29.066. BEST PRACTICES. Based on the measure of
progress toward English language proficiency under Section 29.065,
the commissioner shall determine which school districts offer the
most effective bilingual education and special language programs.
Using funds appropriated for that purpose, the commissioner shall
determine the practices those districts use that result in student
progress toward English language proficiency and distribute
information concerning those practices to each school district that
provides a bilingual education or special language program.
SECTION 5. Section 39.051(b), Education Code, as amended by
Chapters 433 and 805, Acts of the 78th Legislature, Regular
Session, 2003, is reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(b) Performance on the indicators adopted under this
section shall be compared to state-established standards. The
degree of change from one school year to the next in performance on
each indicator adopted under this section shall also be considered.
The indicators must be based on information that is disaggregated
by race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status and must
include:
(1) the results of assessment instruments required
under Sections 39.023(a), (c), and (l), aggregated by grade level
and subject area;
(2) dropout rates, including dropout rates and
district completion rates for grade levels 9 through 12, computed
in accordance with standards and definitions adopted by the
National Center for Education Statistics of the United States
Department of Education;
(3) high school graduation rates, computed in
accordance with standards and definitions adopted in compliance
with the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Pub. L. No.
107-110);
(4) student attendance rates;
(5) the percentage of graduating students who attain
scores on the secondary exit-level assessment instruments required
under Subchapter B that are equivalent to a passing score on the
assessment [test] instrument required under Section 51.3062
[51.306];
(6) the percentage of graduating students who meet the
course requirements established for the recommended high school
program by State Board of Education rule;
(7) the measure of progress toward English language
proficiency under Section 29.065, for students of limited English
proficiency, as defined by Section 29.052;
(8) the results of the Scholastic Assessment Test
(SAT), the American College Test (ACT), articulated postsecondary
degree programs described by Section 61.852, and certified
workforce training programs described by Chapter 311, Labor Code;
(9) [(8)] the percentage of students, aggregated by
grade level, provided accelerated instruction under Section
28.0211(c), the results of assessments administered under that
section, the percentage of students promoted through the grade
placement committee process under Section 28.0211, the subject of
the assessment instrument on which each student failed to perform
satisfactorily, and the performance of those students in the school
year following that promotion on the assessment instruments
required under Section 39.023;
(10) [(9)] for students who have failed to perform
satisfactorily on an assessment instrument required under Section
39.023(a) or (c), the numerical progress of those students on
subsequent assessment instruments required under those sections,
aggregated by grade level and subject area;
(11) [(10)] the percentage of students exempted, by
exemption category, from the assessment program generally
applicable under this chapter; [and]
(12) [(11)] the percentage of students of limited
English proficiency exempted from the administration of an
assessment instrument under Sections 39.027(a)(3) and (4);
(13) the percentage of students in a special education
program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, assessed through assessment
instruments developed or adopted under Section 39.023(b); and
(14) dropout rates for students who have dropped out
of school after being enrolled at any time in a bilingual education
or special language program under Subchapter B, Chapter 29.
SECTION 6. Section 39.051(d), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(d) Annually, the commissioner shall define exemplary,
recognized, and unacceptable performance for each academic
excellence indicator included under Subsections (b)(1) through (8)
[(6)] and shall project the standards for each of those levels of
performance for succeeding years. For the indicator under
Subsection (b)(9) [(b)(7)], the commissioner shall define
exemplary, recognized, and unacceptable performance based on
student performance for the period covering both the current and
preceding academic years. In defining exemplary, recognized, and
unacceptable performance for the indicators under Subsections
(b)(2) and (4) [(3)], the commissioner may not consider as a dropout
or as a student who has failed to attend school a student whose
failure to attend school results from:
(1) the student's expulsion under Section 37.007; and
(2) as applicable:
(A) adjudication as having engaged in delinquent
conduct or conduct indicating a need for supervision, as defined by
Section 51.03, Family Code; or
(B) conviction of and sentencing for an offense
under the Penal Code.
SECTION 7. Section 39.052(b), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) The report card shall include the following
information:
(1) where applicable, the academic excellence
indicators adopted under Sections 39.051(b)(1) through (11) [(9)];
(2) average class size by grade level and subject;
(3) the administrative and instructional costs per
student, computed in a manner consistent with Section 44.0071; and
(4) the district's instructional expenditures ratio
and instructional employees ratio computed under Section 44.0071,
and the statewide average of those ratios, as determined by the
commissioner.
SECTION 8. Sections 39.072(b) and (c), Education Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(b) The academic excellence indicators adopted under
Sections 39.051(b)(1) through (9) [(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;
(2) the effectiveness of the district's programs for
special populations; and
(3) the effectiveness of the district's career and
technology programs.
(c) The agency shall evaluate against state standards and
shall, not later than August 1 of each year, 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 (9) [(7)].
Consideration of the effectiveness of district programs under
Subsection (b)(2) or (3) must be based on data collected through the
Public Education Information Management System for purposes of
accountability under this chapter and include the results of
assessments required under Section 39.023.
SECTION 9. Sections 39.073(a) and (b), Education Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(a) The agency shall annually review the performance of each
district and campus on the indicators adopted under Sections
39.051(b)(1) through (9) [(7)] and determine if a change in the
accreditation status of the district is warranted. The
commissioner may determine how all indicators adopted under Section
39.051(b) may be used to determine accountability ratings and to
select districts and campuses for acknowledgment.
(b) Each annual review shall include an analysis of the
indicators under Sections 39.051(b)(1) through (9) [(6)] to
determine district and campus performance in relation to:
(1) standards established for each indicator;
(2) required improvement as defined under Section
39.051(c); and
(3) comparable improvement as defined by Section
39.051(c).
SECTION 10. Section 39.074(e), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(e) If an annual review indicates low performance on one or
more of the indicators under Sections 39.051(b)(1) through (9)
[(7)] of one or more campuses in a district, the agency may conduct
an on-site evaluation of those campuses only.
SECTION 11. Section 42.153(a), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) For each student in average daily attendance in a
bilingual education or special language program under Subchapter B,
Chapter 29, a district is entitled to an annual allotment equal to
the adjusted basic allotment multiplied by 0.4 [0.1].
SECTION 12. Section 29.056(h), Education Code, is repealed.
SECTION 13. (a) Not later than the 2006-2007 school year,
the Texas Education Agency shall collect information concerning the
measure of progress toward English language proficiency for
purposes of Section 39.051(b)(7), Education Code, as amended by
this Act, and the dropout rates for purposes of Section
39.051(b)(14), Education Code, as added by this Act.
(b) Not later than the 2007-2008 school year, the Texas
Education Agency shall include the measure of progress toward
English language proficiency under Section 39.051(b)(7), as
amended by this Act, in evaluating the performance of school
districts, campuses, and open-enrollment charter schools under
Subchapter D, Chapter 39, Education Code.
SECTION 14. This Act applies beginning with the 2005-2006
school year.
SECTION 15. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.