By: Ashby H.B. No. 1776

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the United States history end-of-course assessment instrument for public high school students.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 39.023(c), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) The agency shall also adopt end-of-course assessment instruments for secondary-level courses in Algebra I, biology, English I, English II, and United States history. The Algebra I end-of-course assessment instrument must be administered with the aid of technology. The English I and English II end-of-course assessment instruments must each assess essential knowledge and skills in both reading and writing in the same assessment instrument and must provide a single score. A school district shall comply with State Board of Education rules regarding administration of the assessment instruments listed in this subsection. If a student is in a special education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee shall determine whether any allowable modification is necessary in administering to the student an assessment instrument required under this subsection. The State Board of Education shall administer the assessment instruments. The State Board of Education shall adopt a schedule for the administration of end-of-course assessment instruments that complies with the requirements of Subsection (c-3).

SECTION 2. Section 39, Education Code is amended by adding Sec. 39.02302 to read as follows:

Section 39.02302 U.S. History Assessment (a) Beginning with students entering the 9th grade in the 2018-2019 school year, each student shall be required to take the civics test administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services as part of the naturalization process under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 et seq.). The test shall be administered in accordance with rules adopted by a district board of trustees, the commissioner, and as follows:

(1) On a computer in a multiple choice format, and

(2) In the presence of a teacher, aide, proctor, or campus testing coordinator, and

(3) At any time during the school year when the instructor or counselor determines the student to be ready.

(b) A student who has entered the 9th grade prior to the 2018-2019 may elect to take the test in accordance with this section in lieu of the test required in Section 39.023(c).

(c) As a condition of graduation, a student must answer at least 70% of the questions correctly.

(d) If a student is in a special education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee shall determine whether any allowable modification is necessary in administering this assessment instrument to appropriately measure a student's achievement on this test.

(e) An individual graduation committee may waive the requirement in this section for a student in a special education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, for whom this assessment instrument, even with allowable accommodations, would not provide an appropriate measure of student achievement, as determined by the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee.

(f) The commissioner shall adopt rules requiring a school district to provide a student in the foundation high school program under Section 28.025 with the opportunity to be administered the test in this section. A rule may not:

(1) Restrict the grade level at which a student may take this test; or

(2) Limit the number of attempts a student may take to perform satisfactorily on the test.

(g) A school district shall annually certify to the commissioner the results of each student who takes this assessment.

SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with students who enter the ninth grade during the 2018-2019 school year.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2017.