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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to removal of the parental approval requirement for a |
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student's participation in a bilingual education program. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 29.056(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) The agency shall establish standardized criteria for |
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the identification, assessment, and classification of students of |
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limited English proficiency eligible for entry into the program or |
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exit from the program. [The student's parent must approve a
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student's entry into the program, exit from the program, or
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placement in the program.] The school district or the student's |
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parent may appeal the decision under Section 29.064. The criteria |
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for identification, assessment, and classification may include: |
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(1) results of a home language survey conducted within |
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four weeks of each student's enrollment to determine the language |
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normally used in the home and the language normally used by the |
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student, conducted in English and the home language, signed by the |
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student's parents if the student is in kindergarten through grade 8 |
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or by the student if the student is in grades 9 through 12, and kept |
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in the student's permanent folder by the language proficiency |
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assessment committee; |
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(2) the results of an agency-approved English language |
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proficiency test administered to all students identified through |
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the home survey as normally speaking a language other than English |
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to determine the level of English language proficiency, with |
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students in kindergarten or grade 1 being administered an oral |
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English proficiency test and students in grades 2 through 12 being |
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administered an oral and written English proficiency test; and |
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(3) the results of an agency-approved proficiency test |
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in the primary language administered to all students identified |
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under Subdivision (2) as being of limited English proficiency to |
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determine the level of primary language proficiency, with students |
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in kindergarten or grade 1 being administered an oral primary |
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language proficiency test and students in grades 2 through 12 being |
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administered an oral and written primary language proficiency test. |
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SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2013-2014 |
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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. |