BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.H.B. 2263
85R30751 KJE-F	By: Gooden (West)
	Education
	5/19/2017
	Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

According to interested parties, the continued monitoring of certain public school campuses that have been assigned a campus intervention team is unnecessary. H.B. 2263 addresses this issue and allows for a more efficient use of resources by removing the related requirement.

H.B. 2263 amends the Education Code to remove the requirement that a campus intervention team, for each year a public school campus is assigned an unacceptable performance rating, continue to work with the campus until the campus satisfies all performance standards under the domains of achievement indicators for a two-year period or until the campus satisfies all of those standards for a one-year period and the commissioner of education determines that the campus is operating and will continue to operate in a manner that improves student achievement. (Original Author's / Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

C.S.H.B. 2263 amends current law relating to the public school accountability system.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education in SECTION 1 (Section 39.053, Education Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 39.053, Education Code, by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (c-4) and (g-3), as follows:

(c) Requires that school districts and campuses be evaluated based on five domains of indicators of achievement adopted under this section (Performance Indicators: Achievement) that include:

(1) through (3) makes no changes to these subdivisions;

(4) in the fourth domain:

(A) for evaluating the performance of high school campuses and districts that include high school campuses:

(i) makes no changes to this subparagraph;

(ii) high school graduation rates, computed in accordance with standards and definitions adopted in compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act, rather than the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Section (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.);

(iii) through (xii) makes no changes to these subparagraphs;

(xiii) the percentage of students who have completed an Advanced Placement (AP) or international baccalaureate (IB) course, rather than an AP course;

(ix) through (x) makes no changes to these subparagraphs;

(xi) the percentage of students who successfully completed an OnRamps dual enrollment course;

(xii) the percentage of students who have received credit by examination;

(xiii) the percentage of students who have been promoted to higher grade levels than the grade levels to which the student would ordinarily be assigned;

(xiv) the percentage of students who have earned a diploma after not more than three years of high school attendance; and

(xv) the percentage of students who earn an associate degree;

(B) for evaluating the performance of middle and junior high school and elementary school campuses and districts that include those campuses:

(i) makes no changes to this subparagraph;

(ii) for middle and junior high school campuses:

(a) and (b) makes no changes to these sub-subparagraphs; and

(iii) the percentage of students who participate in a University Interscholastic League (UIL) A+ academic event; and

(5) makes no changes to this subdivision.

(c-4) Requires the commissioner of education (commissioner), for purposes of evaluating the performance of a district or campus under Subsection (c), to determine a method by which the performance of a student in attributed greater weight for each school year a student has been continuously enrolled in the school district or at the campus, as applicable.

(g-3) Requires the commissioner to adopt rules for computing the percentage of students participating in a UIL A+ academic event under Subsection (c)(4)(B)(iii).

SECTION 2. Amends Section 39.107, Education Code, by adding Subsections (b-10), (b-11), and (b-12), as follows:

(b-10) Requires the commissioner not later than June 15 of each year, to, in writing, either approve or reject any campus turnaround plan (plan) prepared and submitted to the commissioner by a district. Requires the commissioner, if the commissioner rejects a plan, to also send the district an outline of the specific concerns regarding the plan that resulted in the rejection.

(b-11) Requires the district, if the commissioner rejects a plan, to create a modified plan with assistance from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff and submit the modified plan to the commissioner for approval not later than August 15. Requires the commissioner to notify the district in writing of the commissioner's decision regarding the modified plan not later than September 1.

(b-12) Prohibits TEA, if TEA assists or offers assistance to a district in modifying a plan following a rejection under Subsection (b-10), from recommending or requiring participation by the district in certain workshops, use of fidelity instruments, or other initiatives not directly related to a concern raised in the plan that was identified by the commissioner under Subsection (b-10).

SECTION 3. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.

SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2017.