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AN ACT
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relating to a grant program for certain school districts to provide |
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summer instruction primarily for students who are educationally |
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disadvantaged and summer teaching opportunities for |
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high-performing, new, and student teachers. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 29, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 29.091 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 29.091. GRANT PROGRAM FOR DISTRICTS THAT HAVE HIGH |
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ENROLLMENT OF EDUCATIONALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS AND THAT |
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PROVIDE SUMMER INSTRUCTION. (a) In this section: |
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(1) "New teacher" means a teacher who: |
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(A) will be teaching for the first time during |
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the next school year; or |
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(B) first began teaching: |
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(i) during the preceding two years; or |
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(ii) in the school district in which the |
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teacher is currently employed during the preceding year. |
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(2) "Program" means the grant program for school |
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districts to provide summer instruction primarily for students who |
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are educationally disadvantaged, as established under this |
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section. |
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(b) The commissioner shall establish and administer a |
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competitive program to provide grants to not more than 10 school |
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districts to use in providing instructional programs to students in |
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prekindergarten through eighth grade during the period in which |
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school is recessed for the summer. The program shall be designed to: |
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(1) encourage participation in the program by a |
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district's most educationally disadvantaged students; |
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(2) close the academic achievement gap between |
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students who are educationally disadvantaged and students who are |
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not educationally disadvantaged; |
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(3) ensure that during the period in which school is |
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recessed for the summer, students participating in the program |
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retain knowledge and skills learned during the school year and |
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continue learning; |
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(4) provide apprenticeship, mentorship, and other |
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professional development opportunities for new teachers and |
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student teachers; and |
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(5) add to the compensation of a district's highest |
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performing teachers by providing those teachers with summer |
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employment teaching students, new teachers, and student teachers. |
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(c) To be eligible to participate in the program, a school |
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district must: |
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(1) have an enrollment of students who are |
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educationally disadvantaged that is greater than 50 percent of |
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total district enrollment; |
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(2) apply to the commissioner in the manner and within |
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the time prescribed by commissioner rule; and |
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(3) provide as part of the application materials a |
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plan that is designed to achieve the purposes described by |
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Subsections (b)(1) through (5). |
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(d) In selecting from among eligible school districts to |
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participate in the program, the commissioner shall select those |
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districts that provide plans under Subsection (c)(3) that are the |
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most innovative and represent a variety of approaches so that the |
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effectiveness of various plans can be compared and evaluated. |
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(e) A grant awarded under this section may be funded only |
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with money appropriated for the program and any gifts, grants, or |
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donations made to the agency that may be used for and that the |
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commissioner applies to funding the program. The commissioner, in |
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accordance with commissioner rule and based on the amount available |
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for the program, shall determine the amount of each grant awarded |
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under this section. A school district awarded a grant under this |
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section may use the grant only for implementing and administering a |
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plan as described by Subsection (c)(3), including providing |
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compensation to teachers in accordance with Subsection (b)(5) and |
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commissioner rule. |
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(f) Each school district participating in the program |
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shall, in the manner and within the time prescribed by commissioner |
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rule, provide to the agency an annual written report that includes: |
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(1) a detailed description of the district's plan, as |
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implemented; |
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(2) the number and grade levels of participating |
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students; |
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(3) demographic information for participating |
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students, including the percentage of students of each applicable |
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race and ethnicity, the percentage of educationally disadvantaged |
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students, the percentage of students of limited English proficiency |
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as defined by Section 29.052, the percentage of students enrolled |
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in a school district special education program under Subchapter A, |
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and the percentage of students enrolled in a district bilingual |
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education program under Subchapter B; |
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(4) school attendance rates for participating |
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students, before, during, and after program participation, as |
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applicable; |
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(5) specific information that demonstrates whether |
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the purposes described by Subsections (b)(2) and (3) have been |
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achieved, including the results of assessment instruments |
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administered under Section 39.023 for participating students, |
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before, during, and after program participation, as applicable; |
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(6) aggregate results of assessment instruments |
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administered under Section 39.023 for students of participating |
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classroom teachers, new teachers, and student teachers, before, |
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during, and after program participation by the students, as |
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applicable; |
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(7) information regarding the manner in which teachers |
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are selected for participation in the program and the manner in |
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which teachers are compensated for their participation; |
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(8) statistical information for participating |
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classroom teachers, new teachers, and student teachers, including |
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the number of years employed in the teaching profession, the number |
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of years teaching in the district in which the program is provided, |
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the category and class of educator certification held, the highest |
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level of academic degree earned, race, ethnicity, and gender; |
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(9) information regarding whether: |
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(A) the program is provided on a full-day or |
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half-day basis; |
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(B) the program is voluntary or mandatory for |
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educationally disadvantaged students; |
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(C) the district has partnered with an outside |
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provider to provide any supplemental service; |
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(D) the district provides transportation to |
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participating students; and |
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(E) the district offers the program to students |
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who are not educationally disadvantaged and, if so, under what |
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circumstances; |
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(10) information on retention in the teaching |
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profession of the participating teachers, including new teachers |
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and student teachers; and |
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(11) any other information required by commissioner |
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rule. |
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(g) The agency shall contract with an experienced and |
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recognized third-party program evaluator to determine and prepare a |
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report regarding the effectiveness of the program. The evaluator's |
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report must include the evaluator's best effort to project the cost |
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and academic effects of implementing the best practices of the |
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program in school districts throughout this state and must describe |
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the effectiveness of the program in: |
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(1) improving academic performance among |
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participating students; |
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(2) improving the professional development and |
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performance of new teachers; and |
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(3) rewarding and retaining the highest performing |
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teachers. |
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(h) Not later than November 1 of each even-numbered year, |
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the agency shall submit to each member of the legislature a report |
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specifically describing the results of the program. The report may |
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be in the form of a summary of the information required under |
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Subsections (f) and (g). |
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(i) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to |
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administer this section. |
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SECTION 2. The commissioner of education shall establish |
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the grant program under Section 29.091, Education Code, as added by |
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this Act, beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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______________________________ |
______________________________ |
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President of the Senate |
Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.B. No. 742 was passed by the House on May 9, |
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2013, by the following vote: Yeas 78, Nays 58, 2 present, not |
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voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. |
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No. 742 on May 24, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 105, Nays 39, |
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2 present, not voting. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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I certify that H.B. No. 742 was passed by the Senate, with |
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amendments, on May 22, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 18, Nays |
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13. |
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______________________________ |
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Secretary of the Senate |
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APPROVED: __________________ |
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Date |
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__________________ |
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Governor |