BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center                                                                                              C.S.H.B. 1270

80R18090 CAE-D                                                                                    By: Eissler (Van de Putte)

                                                                                                                                            Education

                                                                                                                                              5/1/2007

                                                                                                        Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

The 79th Legislature enacted H.B. 3468 to implement intensive reading and language intervention pilot programs for at risk students.  However, according to the commissioner of education (commissioner), unforeseen costs associated to the impact of hurricanes Katrina and Rita prevented the funding of this pilot program.

 

C.S.H.B. 1270 requires the commissioner of education by rule to establish a pilot program in which a participating campus provides intensive reading and language intervention to participating students.  This bill sets out minimum criteria from which the commissioner would select the programs that qualify to participate in this pilot program and would enable the commissioner to set aside funds for the districts that are selected to participate.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

Rulemaking authority previously granted to the commissioner of education is modified in SECTION 1 (Section 29.094, Education Code) of this bill.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Reenacts and amends Section 29.094, Education Code, as follows:

 

Sec. 29.094.  New heading: INTENSIVE READING AND LANGUAGE INTERVENTION PILOT PROGRAM. (a) Defines "pilot program."

 

(b) Requires, rather than authorizes, the commissioner of education (commissioner) by rule to establish an intensive reading and language intervention pilot program (program).

 

(c) Authorizes a campus to apply to the commissioner to participate in the pilot program, rather than making such an application contingent on the commissioner establishing the pilot program. 

 

(d) Requires the program criteria to include neuroscience-based, scientifically validated methods, scientifically based reading interventions, or instructional tools that have been proven to accelerate language acquisition or reading proficiency for struggling readers, rather than learning, cognitive ability, and language proficiency.  Makes conforming changes.

 

(e)  Requires the principal of a participating campus, in consultation with classroom teachers at the campus, to select students to participate in the pilot program based on assessment data.  Requires benchmark measures to be administered at the beginning and end of the program, rather than requiring a participating campus to assess each selected student before the student enters and after the student transfers out of the pilot program to measure the student's progress.

 

(f) Requires any vendor of a program to provide the legislature with a report describing student progress not later than December 31, 2008, rather than 2006.

 

(g) Requires, rather than authorizes, the commissioner to provide funding for the program using not more than $6 million of funding appropriated for purposes of Section 28.0211 (Satisfactory Performance on Assessment Instruments Required; Accelerated Instruction), notwithstanding any other law.

 

(h) Makes a conforming change.

 

(i) Requires the commissioner to make the program available to participating campuses during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, rather than 2005-2006 and 2006-2007, school years.  Deletes existing text of Subsection (j) providing an expiration date for this section.  Makes a conforming change. 

 

SECTION 2.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.