BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1406

By: Patrick

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that one of the core functions of regional education service centers is to assist school districts in teaching each subject area assessed under the public school accountability system. The centers also have the ability to create products and services at a district's request. To this end, regional service centers developed a curriculum management system known as CSCOPE, designed to assist school districts in teaching the essential knowledge and skills. The parties further note that the State Board of Education (SBOE) has oversight of instructional materials in Texas but that there has been no SBOE oversight over CSCOPE content since its inception because a curriculum management system is not considered to be an instructional material. S.B. 1406 seeks to provide for SBOE oversight of regional education service center activities concerning certain curriculum management systems.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1406 amends the Education Code to require instructional lessons developed as part of a curriculum management system by a regional educational service center, acting alone or in collaboration with one or more regional education service centers, to be subject to the review and adoption process adopted by the State Board of Education for instructional materials for elementary grade levels, including prekindergarten, and secondary grade levels, for each subject in the required state curriculum.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2013.