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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to providing training academies for public school teachers |
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who provide reading instruction to students in kindergarten through |
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grade three. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter J, Chapter 21, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 21.4552 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 21.4552. TEACHER LITERACY ACHIEVEMENT ACADEMIES. |
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(a) The commissioner shall develop and make available literacy |
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achievement academies for teachers who provide reading instruction |
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to students at the kindergarten or first, second, or third grade |
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level. |
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(b) A literacy achievement academy developed under this |
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section: |
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(1) must include training in: |
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(A) effective and systematic instructional |
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practices in reading, including phonemic awareness, phonics, |
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fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension; and |
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(B) the use of empirically validated |
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instructional methods that are appropriate for struggling readers; |
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and |
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(2) may include training in effective instructional |
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practices in writing. |
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(c) The commissioner shall adopt criteria for selecting |
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teachers who may attend a literacy achievement academy. In |
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adopting selection criteria under this subsection, the |
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commissioner shall: |
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(1) require granting a priority to teachers employed |
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by a school district at a campus at which 50 percent or more of the |
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students enrolled are educationally disadvantaged; and |
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(2) provide a process through which a teacher not |
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employed at a campus described by Subdivision (1) may attend the |
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academy if the academy has available space and the school district |
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employing the teacher pays the costs of the teacher's attendance. |
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(d) From funds appropriated for that purpose, a teacher who |
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attends a literacy achievement academy is entitled to receive a |
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stipend in the amount determined by the commissioner. A stipend |
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received under this subsection is not considered in determining |
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whether a school district is paying the teacher the minimum monthly |
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salary under Section 21.402. |
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(e) On request of the commissioner, regional education |
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service centers shall assist the commissioner and agency with |
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training and other activities relating to the development and |
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operation of literacy achievement academies. |
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(f) This section expires September 1, 2027. |
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SECTION 2. 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, 2015. |