Honorable Larry Taylor, Chair, Senate Committee on Education
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1453 by Taylor ( Relating to the use of calculator applications in place of graphing calculators in public schools.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for SB1453, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of ($200,000) through the biennium ending August 31, 2021.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
Fiscal Year
Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to General Revenue Related Funds
2020
($200,000)
2021
$0
2022
$0
2023
$0
2024
$0
Fiscal Year
Probable Savings/(Cost) from General Revenue Fund 1
2020
($200,000)
2021
$0
2022
$0
2023
$0
2024
$0
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would require school districts to permit a student enrolled in a course requiring graphing calculators to use a calculator application on a computing device, including a personal, laptop, or tablet computer, that provides the same functionality, unless the district makes available to the student a graphing calculator at no cost to the student.
The bill would also require the agency to conduct an evaluation of best practices for the use of a calculator application on a computing device by a student during an assessment instrument. On completion of the evaluation, the agency would be required to adopt rules establishing a policy for the permitted use of a calculator application on a computing device. The rules would be required to specify the types of calculator applications and computing devices students are authorized to use and the circumstances under which each calculator application and computing device may be used. The agency would be required to post to its website and communicate to each school district the adopted policy and a list of approved calculator applications and computing devices, including information relating to the cost and functionality of each listed calculator application and computing device.
Methodology
TEA estimates a cost of approximately $200,000 to conduct the required evaluation, create the list of approved calculator applications and computing devices, and provide information on cost and functionality of each calculator application and computing device.
Technology
No technology impact is expected.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.