By: Shapleigh S.B. No. 960

(In the Senate - Filed February 27, 2007; March 7, 2007, read first time and referred to Committee on Education; March 14, 2007, rereferred to Subcommittee on Base Realignment and Closure; April 12, 2007, reported favorably from Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations by the following vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; April 12, 2007, sent to printer.)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the administration of exit-level state assessment instruments to transfer students who are dependents of military personnel.

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

SECTION 1. Section 39.025, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsections (f) and (g) to read as follows:

(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the commissioner shall allow a student who is the dependent of a person serving in the military to satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a) and qualify for a high school diploma through satisfactory performance on one or more alternative nationally recognized norm-referenced assessment instruments if the student, as a result of a military transfer or deployment of the person serving in the military, transfers into the public school system of this state after completion of the student's sophomore year in high school.

(g) For purposes of Subsection (f), the commissioner, in order to ensure that a student described by that subsection may satisfy the requirements of Subsection (a) solely through performance on one or more alternative assessment instruments, shall establish required performance levels for the alternative assessment instrument or instruments that correspond to the performance levels otherwise required under Subsection (a) on the secondary exit-level assessment instruments for English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.

SECTION 2. Section 39.025, Education Code, as amended by this Act, applies beginning with students enrolled in public high schools in this state as juniors or seniors during the 2006-2007 school year.

SECTION 3. 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 September 1, 2007.

* * * * *