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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to authorizing the use of a writing portfolio assessment |
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to assess writing performance for public school students. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 39.02301 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 39.02301. OPTIONAL USE OF WRITING PORTFOLIO |
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ASSESSMENT. (a) A school district may elect to use a writing |
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portfolio assessment to assess writing performance for students |
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enrolled in the district as an alternative to administering the |
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portion of a reading assessment instrument under Section 39.023(a) |
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or English I or English II end-of-course assessment instrument |
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under Section 39.023(c) that is not presented in a multiple choice |
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format. |
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(b) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio |
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assessment under this section shall design the assessment in |
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consultation with a public or private institution of higher |
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education and submit the assessment to the agency for approval. The |
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agency shall approve the assessment if the assessment is: |
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(1) determined by the public or private institution of |
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higher education that consulted on the design of the assessment to |
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be valid and reliable; and |
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(2) designed to assess: |
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(A) a student's mastery of the essential |
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knowledge and skills in writing through timed writing samples; |
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(B) improvement of a student's writing skills |
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from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year; |
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(C) a student's ability to follow the writing |
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process from rough draft to final product; and |
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(D) a student's ability to produce more than one |
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type of writing style. |
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(c) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio |
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assessment under this section may adopt a policy allowing the |
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assessment to be scored by a classroom teacher assigned to the same |
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campus as the student to whom the assessment is administered. The |
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district may coordinate with the regional education service center |
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for the district's region in grading the assessments. |
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(d) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio |
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assessment under this section is not required to administer the |
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portion of a reading assessment instrument under Section 39.023(a) |
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or English I or English II end-of-course assessment instrument |
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under Section 39.023(c) that is not presented in a multiple choice |
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format during the period the district is administering the writing |
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portfolio assessment. The agency shall, to the greatest extent |
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practicable, apply cost savings that result from the exemption |
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under this subsection to offset the costs accrued under this |
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section. |
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(e) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to |
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implement this section. |
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SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 3. 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, 2025. |