AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

Section 39.053 (Performance Indicators: Student Achievements) of the Education Code requires the commissioner of education (commissioner) to adopt a set of indicators of the quality of learning and student achievement, and to biennially review the indicators for the consideration of appropriate revisions. Currently, the indicators in statute refer to student achievement on standardized assessments, graduation rates, and dropout rates. Section 39.054 (Methods and Standards for Evaluating Performance), which addresses district and school campus achievement, also references student performance on the state assessment tool in Section 39.053 as well as dropout rates.

 

Though tests can provide important and objective data on knowledge acquisition, they are not complete measures of student performance and learning. In addition, tests scores may unfairly punish students who are unfamiliar with the cultural references in examinations and are particularly unreliable when it comes to measuring teacher effectiveness and the quality of instruction in a classroom.

 

S.B. 1310 requires the commissioner to include other metrics when measuring student achievement and student learning. These metrics include teacher assessments, class size, parent satisfaction with the campus or school, and student participation in extracurricular activities.  The bill prohibits the student achievement indicator, essentially the state standardized examination, from accounting for more than 20 percent of the overall performance rating.

 

As proposed, S.B. 1310 amends current law relating to standards for school district, public school campus, and open-enrollment charter school performance ratings.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 39.054, Education Code, by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (g), as follows:

 

(b)  Requires the commissioner of education, in evaluating performance, to evaluate against state standards and consider the performance of each campus in a school district and each open-enrollment charter school on the basis of:

 

(1)  the campus's or school's performance on the student achievement indicators adopted under Section 39.053(c) (relating to requirements for indicators of student achievement adopted under this section), to the extent authorized under Subsection (g);

 

(2)  parent satisfaction with the campus or school;

 

(3)  class size;

 

(4)  student participation in extracurricular activities; and

 

(5)  teacher appraisals.

 

(g)  Prohibits the student achievement indicator adopted under Section 39.053(c)(1) (relating to requiring that certain results from certain assessment instruments be included in adopting indicators of student achievement under this section) from accounting for more than 20 percent of the overall performance rating assigned under this section to a school district, campus, or open-enrollment charter school.

 

SECTION 2.  Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

 

SECTION 3.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.