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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to eliminating certain state-required end-of-course |
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assessment instruments not required by federal law. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 39.023, Education Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (c) and (c-3) and adding Subsection (q) to |
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read as follows: |
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(c) The agency shall also adopt end-of-course assessment |
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instruments for secondary-level courses in Algebra I, biology, and |
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English I[, English II, and United States history]. The Algebra I |
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end-of-course assessment instrument must be administered with the |
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aid of technology. The English I [and English II] end-of-course |
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assessment instrument [instruments] must [each] assess essential |
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knowledge and skills in both reading and writing in the same |
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assessment instrument and must provide a single score. A school |
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district shall comply with State Board of Education rules regarding |
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administration of the assessment instruments listed in this |
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subsection. If a student is in a special education program under |
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Subchapter A, Chapter 29, the student's admission, review, and |
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dismissal committee shall determine whether any allowable |
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modification is necessary in administering to the student an |
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assessment instrument required under this subsection. The State |
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Board of Education shall administer the assessment instruments. |
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The State Board of Education shall adopt a schedule for the |
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administration of end-of-course assessment instruments that |
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complies with the requirements of Subsection (c-3). |
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(c-3) In adopting a schedule for the administration of |
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assessment instruments under this section, the State Board of |
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Education shall require: |
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(1) assessment instruments administered under |
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Subsection (a) to be administered on a schedule so that the first |
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assessment instrument is administered at least two weeks later than |
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the date on which the first assessment instrument was administered |
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under Subsection (a) during the 2006-2007 school year; and |
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(2) the spring administration of end-of-course |
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assessment instruments under Subsection (c) to occur in each school |
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district not earlier than the first full week in May, except that |
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the spring administration of the end-of-course assessment |
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instrument [instruments] in English I [and English II] must be |
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permitted to occur at an earlier date. |
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(q) This subsection applies to end-of-course assessment |
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instruments adopted under Subsection (c) for secondary-level |
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courses in English II and United States history, as that subsection |
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existed before amendment by __.B. No.___, Acts of the 86th |
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Legislature, Regular Session, 2019. The agency may retain |
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assessment instruments described by this subsection, but may not |
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require a school district to administer those assessment |
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instruments. A school district may choose to administer an |
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assessment instrument described by this subsection. An assessment |
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instrument described by this subsection administered by a school |
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district may not be used for accountability purposes to measure the |
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performance of the district or a district campus. |
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SECTION 2. Section 39.025(a-1), Education Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(a-1) A student enrolled in a college preparatory |
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mathematics or English language arts course under Section 28.014 |
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who satisfies the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) college readiness |
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benchmarks prescribed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating |
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Board under Section 51.334 on an assessment instrument designated |
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by the coordinating board under that section administered at the |
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end of the college preparatory mathematics or English language arts |
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course satisfies the requirements concerning and is exempt from the |
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administration of the Algebra I or the English I [and English II] |
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end-of-course assessment instrument [instruments], as applicable, |
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as prescribed by Section 39.023(c), even if the student did not |
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perform satisfactorily on a previous administration of the |
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applicable end-of-course assessment instrument. A student who |
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fails to perform satisfactorily on the assessment instrument |
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designated by the coordinating board under Section 51.334 |
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administered as provided by this subsection may retake that |
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assessment instrument for purposes of this subsection or may take |
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the appropriate end-of-course assessment instrument. |
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SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 4. 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, 2019. |