BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1876

By: Tepper

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools offer diverse career and technical education (CTE) programs designed to equip students with industry-recognized certifications, practical work experience, and college and career readiness. However, the bill author has informed the committee that the effectiveness of these programs can be hindered by inconsistent and outdated tracking of CTE-related data, including certifications earned, career and technical student organizations participation, and work-based learning engagement, but that with proper tracking, educators and administrators can make more informed decisions to support students in achieving their credentials. The bill author has also informed the committee that districts and charter schools face challenges in collecting, analyzing, and reporting CTE data, including the inability to track student engagement comprehensively and a lack of integration with data systems, resulting in local education agencies' lack of insights necessary for evaluating program outcomes and tailoring offerings to meet workforce demands. H.B. 1876 seeks to improve the career readiness of students by providing for the establishment of a career and technical education reporting grant program, administered by the Texas Education Agency, to address these challenges and enable districts and charter schools to use modern data collection strategies and train educators in data-driven decision-making.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the Texas Education Agency in SECTION 1 of this bill.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1876 amends the Education Code to require the Texas Education Agency (TEA), from funds appropriated or otherwise available for the purpose, to establish and administer a career and technical education reporting grant program to award grants to public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to facilitate the collection, analysis, and reporting of career- and technical education-related data to enhance program effectiveness and student outcomes at the local and state levels. The bill requires TEA to adopt rules to establish and administer the grant program, including rules establishing application procedures and deadlines, rules establishing grant eligibility criteria, and rules prioritizing grant applications that demonstrate the potential for significant positive effects on career and technical education program outcomes and workforce readiness of students.

H.B. 1876 authorizes a district or charter school to use the grant to do the following:

·         train district or school employees in the use of data analytics software;

·         to the extent possible, improve the integration of career and technical education data with PEIMS; and

·         implement strategies and procure software for collecting and analyzing career and technical education data, including:

o   tracking student engagement in experiences provided by career technical student organizations outside the classroom, including competitions, awards, and community service or other events;

o   tracking student hours worked, training plans, and teacher visits in work-based learning classes offered by the district or school;

o   tracking student results on industry-based certifications, including information regarding the applicable course and teacher and the cost for the certification;

o   identifying students who demonstrate college, career, or military readiness and tracking which performance measures the students meet in real time; and

o   maintaining information regarding enrollment in career and technical education courses and programs of study, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, and special populations.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.