By: Isett H.B. No. 2919

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the review of the public school accountability system.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. (a) The Select Committee to Conduct a Comprehensive Review of the Public School Accountability System is established.

(b) The committee is composed of:

(1) the chairs of the Senate Education Committee and the House Public Education Committee;

(2) two members of the senate, appointed by the lieutenant governor;

(3) two members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(4) one teacher, one principal, and one school district superintendent, appointed jointly by the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives;

(5) four representatives of businesses and communities, at least two of whom currently have one or more children attending the public schools, appointed jointly by the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives, and

(6) four members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be the Commissioner of Education and at least one of whom is an educator in the Texas public schools.

(c) The chairs of the Senate Education Committee and the House Public Education Committee serve as co-chairs of the committee.

(d) The committee shall conduct an in-depth and comprehensive review of the public school accountability system. In conducting its review, the committee shall study the mission, organizational structure, and practices of similar systems in other states and the requirements established by the Elementary and Secondary School Act. The review must include:

(1) a thorough study of each element of the system as prescribed under Chapter 39, Education Code, with special emphasis on the indicators used to determine accreditation status; rewards and incentives for campus excellence; and the responsibilities of the commissioner of education in assisting and, if necessary, sanctioning districts not meeting state performance standards;

(2) the extent to which the system is aligned with federal requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act;

(3) the extent to which the system reflects the public education mission, objectives, and goals provided in Chapter 4, Education Code;

(4) the extent to which the system fairly and accurately reports the effectiveness of teachers, instructional programs, and financial outlays and their impact on student achievement;

(5) methods available to monitor the progress of each individual public school student, with special emphasis on demonstrable growth in academic achievement;

(6) performance indicators that would successfully measure the effectiveness of the campus teaching and learning environment, to include student discipline;

(7) the effectiveness of the system in reporting the performance of charter schools and alternative education programs;

(8) replacing current high school grade-level assessments with end-of-course exams that are consistent with revisions to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills;

(9) the extent to which the system measures the performance of districts and campuses on important indicators and aspects of the educational process other than standardized student test scores;

(10) the extent to which the system clearly, accurately, and understandably reports to parents and other constituents the overall performance of districts and campuses; and

(11) the extent to which the system takes into consideration the differing student demographics of districts and campuses.

(e) The commissioner of education shall ensure that the committee has access to any documentation and agency personnel the committee requests.

(f) Meetings of the committee shall be held at the call of the co-chairs.

(g) A majority of the members of the committee constitutes a quorum.

(h) Not later than October 1, 2007, the committee shall be established and hold an organizational meeting.

(i) The committee shall conduct public hearings throughout Texas and solicit testimony from parents and other constituents about the system.

(j) Not later than December 1, 2008, the committee shall issue a report stating the findings of its review under Subsection (d) of this section, including any recommendations for statutory changes. The report must be approved by a majority of the membership of the committee. Any dissenting member may attach a statement to the report.

(k) Staff members of the Senate Education Committee and the House Public Education Committee shall serve as the staff of the committee.

(l) The Legislative Budget Board, comptroller, state auditor, and other state agencies, officials, and personnel shall cooperate with the committee in carrying out its duties under this section.

(m) Each member of the committee is entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing committee duties. Each legislative member is entitled to reimbursement from the appropriate fund of the member's respective house. Each public member is entitled to reimbursement from funds appropriated to the committee.

(n) The committee may coordinate its study with any other legislative study.

(o) The committee expires January 13, 2009.

SECTION 2. Effective September 1, 2009, Chapter 39, Subchapters C through J of the Education Code are repealed.