BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	S.B. 1045
86R9376 MP-D	By: Hughes
	Education
	4/3/2019
	As Filed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

The Texas Virtual School Network (TXVSN) is comprised of two main elements: the online course catalog and full-time online schools. The course catalog is an online supplement to instruction provided in a traditional classroom setting and allows public school students to enroll each school year in up to three "high school, Advanced Placement, and dual-credit courses offered by TEA-approved catalog course providers." Full-time virtual schools, however, are able to offer an entire online curriculum, and 14,160 public school students participated in these programs in the 2017�2018 school year. Under Section 30A.153(a-1), only those full-time virtual schools operating as of January 1, 2013, are eligible to receive Foundation School Program (FSP) funding for more than three online courses per student each academic year, effectively limiting the number of full-time online schools to those operating at that time.

 

The current providers of full-time virtual education are University Prep through Grapevine‑Colleyville ISD, Texas Virtual Academy through Hallsville ISD, Texas Connections Academy through Houston ISD, Texas Online Preparatory School through Huntsville ISD, Texas Virtual Academy through Premier High Schools (charter holder is Responsive Education Solutions), and Responsive Education Virtual Learning through the Texas College Preparatory Academies (charter holder is Responsive Education Solutions). All of these full-time providers of virtual education also have traditional school campuses but are receiving one district-level accountability rating that encompasses both their traditional and virtual programs. Traditional classroom instruction and virtual education are provided in different manners, however, and S.B. 1045 would allow public schools offering full-time virtual education to receive a separate accountability rating for their traditional and virtual programs.

 

As proposed, S.B. 1045 amends current law relating to academic accountability ratings for certain school districts and open-enrollment charter schools that offer full-time online programs through the state virtual school network.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends Section 30A.110, Education Code, by adding Subsection (d), as follows:

 

(d) Provides that this subsection applies only to a school district or open-enrollment charter school that provides instruction to students while students are located on the physical premises of a district or school campus and provides separate instruction to students enrolled full-time in courses provided through a district or school full-time online campus program. Requires the commissioner of education, in determining the performance ratings under Section 39.054 (Methods and Standards for Evaluating Performance) of a school district or open-enrollment charter school subject to this subsection, to evaluate the performance of students enrolled in a district or school full‑time online campus program separately from the performance of other district or school students and assign:

 

(1) separate district or school overall and domain performance ratings for the district's or school's full-time online program; and

 

(2) separate campus overall and domain performance ratings for each full-time online campus program.

 

SECTION 2. Provides that this Act applies beginning with the 2019�2020 school year.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2019.