|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to an adult high school diploma and industry certification |
|
charter school pilot program. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 29.259, Education Code, is amended by |
|
amending Subsections (c), (d), and (i) and adding Subsections (n), |
|
(o), and (p) to read as follows: |
|
(c) The agency shall [adopt and] administer a state-adopted |
|
standardized secondary exit-level assessment instrument |
|
appropriate for assessing adult education program participants who |
|
successfully complete high school curriculum requirements under a |
|
program provided under this section. The commissioner shall |
|
determine the level of performance considered to be satisfactory on |
|
the state-adopted secondary exit-level assessment instrument for |
|
receipt of a high school diploma by an adult education program |
|
participant in a program provided under this section. |
|
(d) Notwithstanding any other law and in addition to the |
|
number of charters allowed under Subchapter D, Chapter 12, the |
|
commissioner [a charter under the pilot program] may, on the basis |
|
of an application submitted, grant a charter under the pilot |
|
program [be granted] to a single nonprofit entity described by |
|
Subsection (e) to provide an adult education program for [not more
|
|
than 150] individuals described by Subsection (g) to successfully |
|
complete: |
|
(1) a high school program that can lead to a diploma; |
|
and |
|
(2) career and technology education courses that can |
|
lead to industry certification. |
|
(i) A charter granted under this section must: |
|
(1) include a description of the adult education |
|
program to be offered under this section; and |
|
(2) establish specific, objective standards for |
|
receiving a high school diploma, including: |
|
(A) successful completion of: |
|
(i) if applicable to the program |
|
participant, the curriculum requirements under Section 28.025; or |
|
(ii) the appropriate curriculum |
|
requirements applicable to the program participant; and |
|
(B) satisfactory performance on the |
|
state-adopted standardized secondary exit-level assessment |
|
instrument described by Subsection (c). |
|
(n) An adult education program operated under a charter |
|
granted under this section is subject to: |
|
(1) a provision of this title establishing a criminal |
|
offense; and |
|
(2) a prohibition, restriction, or requirement, as |
|
applicable, imposed by this title or a rule adopted under this |
|
title, relating to: |
|
(A) the Public Education Information Management |
|
System (PEIMS) to the extent necessary as determined by the |
|
commissioner to monitor compliance with this section and, as |
|
applicable, Subchapter D, Chapter 12; |
|
(B) criminal history records under Subchapter C, |
|
Chapter 22; |
|
(C) high school graduation requirements under |
|
Section 28.025, to the extent applicable to a program participant; |
|
(D) special education programs under Subchapter |
|
A, Chapter 29; |
|
(E) bilingual education under Subchapter B, |
|
Chapter 29; |
|
(F) health and safety under Chapter 38; |
|
(G) the requirement under Section 21.006 to |
|
report an educator's misconduct; and |
|
(H) the right of an employee to report a crime, as |
|
provided by Section 37.148. |
|
(o) The commissioner shall develop and adopt performance |
|
frameworks that establish standards by which to measure the |
|
performance of an adult high school program operated under a |
|
charter granted under this section in a manner consistent with the |
|
requirements provided for an open-enrollment charter school under |
|
Sections 12.1181(a) and (b). Each year, the commissioner shall |
|
evaluate the performance of an adult high school program operated |
|
under a charter granted under this section based on the applicable |
|
performance frameworks adopted under this subsection. The |
|
commissioner shall include in the performance frameworks adopted |
|
under this subsection the following performance indicators: |
|
(1) the percentage of program participants who |
|
performed satisfactorily on the state-adopted standardized |
|
secondary exit-level assessment instrument described by Subsection |
|
(c); |
|
(2) the percentage of program participants who |
|
successfully completed the high school program and earned a high |
|
school diploma; |
|
(3) the percentage of program participants who |
|
successfully completed career and technology education courses and |
|
obtained industry certification; |
|
(4) the percentage of program participants who have |
|
enrolled in an institution of higher education or private or |
|
independent institution of higher education, as those terms are |
|
defined under Section 61.003; and |
|
(5) the percentage of program participants who earned |
|
a wage, salary, or other income increase that was significant as |
|
determined and reported by the Texas Workforce Commission. |
|
(p) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to |
|
implement and administer the reporting requirements under |
|
Subsection (n)(2)(A) and the evaluation provisions of Subsection |
|
(o). |
|
SECTION 2. Section 29.259(l), Education Code, is repealed. |
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |