87R6597 TSS-D

By: Menéndez S.B. No. 2061

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to information on and requirements for certain courses and educational programs offered in public schools, including courses offered through the state virtual school network.

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

SECTION 1. Section 26.0031(c-1), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c-1) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may decline to pay the cost for a student of more than three yearlong electronic courses, or the equivalent, during any school year. This subsection does not:

(1) limit the ability of the student to enroll in additional electronic courses at the student's cost; or

(2) apply to a student enrolled in:

(A) a full-time online program that was operating on January 1, 2013; or

(B) a district or school that has fewer than 1,600 students in average daily attendance for the current school year.

SECTION 2. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c-4) to read as follows:

(c-4) The State Board of Education shall by rule require each district to make available to each eighth grade student in the district an Algebra I course. Notwithstanding Section 7.056(e), the commissioner may grant a district a temporary waiver from the requirements of this subsection if necessary, as determined by the commissioner.

SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 28.0161 to read as follows:

Sec. 28.0161. NOTIFICATION REGARDING COURSE PATHWAYS AND CAREER CHOICES. Each school year, a school district shall provide to each district student entering grades 6 through 10 and the student's parent or guardian information regarding:

(1) the courses offered as part of the foundation curriculum adopted under Section 28.002(a)(1) and available at the campus attended by the student and at any high school campus that the student is expected to attend; and

(2) potential career choices and the curriculum requirements and courses needed to pursue those careers.

SECTION 4. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 28.028 to read as follows:

Sec. 28.028. POSTING OF ADVANCED COURSEWORK INFORMATION. (a) Not later than September 1 of each year, the agency shall post information to the agency's Internet website on the number of students who, during the previous school year, were enrolled in or accepted into:

(1) an educational program for gifted and talented students under Subchapter D, Chapter 29;

(2) an Algebra I course as an eighth grade student;

(3) an Algebra II or precalculus course or other advanced mathematics course;

(4) an advanced placement course;

(5) an international baccalaureate course; or

(6) an OnRamps dual enrollment course or other dual credit course.

(b) The information shall include the percentage of students who received a passing score in the course or who remained in the program, as applicable, and must be aggregated by campus, district, and grade level and disaggregated by student race, sex, ethnicity, grade level, and socioeconomic status.

(c) In posting information under this section, the agency must comply with all state and federal privacy laws applicable to student information.

SECTION 5. Section 30A.153(a-1), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a-1) For purposes of Subsection (a), a school district or open-enrollment charter school is limited to the funding described by that subsection for a student's enrollment in not more than three electronic courses during any school year, unless:

(1) the student is enrolled in a full-time online program that was operating on January 1, 2013; or

(2) the district or school has fewer than 1,600 students in average daily attendance for the current school year.

SECTION 6. Not later than January 1, 2022, the State Board of Education shall adopt rules necessary to implement the requirements of Section 28.002(c-4), Education Code, as added by this Act.

SECTION 7. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

SECTION 8. 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, 2021.