86R11639 SOS-F

By: Lucio S.B. No. 2107

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to evaluating the performance of dropout recovery schools for purposes of the public school accountability system.

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

SECTION 1. Section 39.0548, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding Subsections (a-1), (e), (f), (g), and (h) to read as follows:

(a) For purposes of evaluating performance under Section 39.053(c), the commissioner shall designate as a dropout recovery school a school district or an open-enrollment charter school or a campus of a district or of an open-enrollment charter school:

(1) that serves students in grades 9 through 12 and has an enrollment of which at least 50 percent of the students are 17 years of age or older as of September 1 of the school year as reported for the fall semester Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) submission; and

(2) that [meets the eligibility requirements for and] is registered under alternative education accountability procedures adopted by the commissioner.

(a-1) For purposes of assigning performance ratings under Section 39.054, the commissioner shall evaluate a dropout recovery school under alternative education accountability procedures adopted by the commissioner.

(d) For [Notwithstanding Section 39.053(c), for] purposes of evaluating a dropout recovery school under the alternative education accountability procedures adopted by the commissioner [to determine the performance rating of the school under Section 39.054], only the best result from the primary administration or any retake of an assessment instrument administered to a student in the school year evaluated may be considered in assigning performance ratings for the school under Section 39.054.

(e) For purposes of evaluating performance of a dropout recovery school under the student achievement domain under Section 39.053(c)(1), the commissioner may consider for purposes of assigning a domain performance rating under Section 39.054 student performance based only on the "approaches grade level" performance standard. Any evaluation of student performance based on a higher performance standard may not be considered to negatively affect the domain performance rating or a performance target score of the school.

(f) For purposes of evaluating performance of a dropout recovery school under the school progress domain under Section 39.053(c)(2), the commissioner may award credit for academic growth for purposes of assigning a domain performance rating under Section 39.054 based only on a student reaching the "approaches grade level" performance standard. Any evaluation of student performance based on reaching a higher academic growth performance standard may not be considered to negatively affect the amount of credit awarded to the school or the domain performance rating or a performance target score of the school.

(g) For purposes of assigning an overall performance rating for a dropout recovery school under Section 39.054, the commissioner shall consider only the school's domain performance ratings under the student achievement domain under Section 39.053(c)(1) and the school progress domain under Section 39.053(c)(2).

(h) The performance of a dropout recovery school under the closing the gaps domain under Section 39.053(c)(3) may be used for reporting purposes only.

SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

SECTION 3. 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, 2019.