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.

 

C.S.S.B. 1310 requires the commissioner to include certain quality of learning indicators when measuring student achievement and student learning.

 

C.S.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 the heading to Section 39.053, Education Code, to read as follows:

 

Sec. 39.053.  PERFORMANCE INDICATORS: QUALITY OF LEARNING AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.

 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 39.053, Education Code, by adding Subsection (j), as follows:

 

(j)  Requires that indicators of the quality of learning adopted under this section include:

 

(1)  the percentage of teachers who teach a grade level or subject for which the teacher does not hold the appropriate certification;

 

(2)  the rates at which teachers are not retained; and

 

(3)  for each applicable grade level, the number of exceptions from the class size limits granted under Section 25.112 (Class Size).

 

SECTION 3.  Amends Section 39.054(b), Education Code, to require 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 the campus's or school's performance on the student achievement and quality of learning indicators adopted under Sections 39.053(c) (relating to requirements for indicators of student achievement adopted under this section) and (j).

 

SECTION 4.  Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2013-2014 school year.

 

SECTION 5.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2013.