SB1962 - Relating to public school accountability, including the implementation of an instructionally supportive assessment program and the adoption and administration of assessment instruments in public schools, indicators of achievement and public school performance ratings under the public school accountability system, a grant program for school district local accountability plans, and actions challenging Texas Education Agency decisions related to public school accountability.

  89R31662 AMF-D     By: Bettencourt, et al. S.B. No. 1962     (Buckley)     Substitute the following for S.B. No. 1962:  No.       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to public school accountability, including the   implementation of an instructionally supportive assessment program   and the adoption and administration of assessment instruments in   public schools, indicators of achievement and public school   performance ratings under the public school accountability system,   a grant program for school district local accountability plans, and   actions challenging Texas Education Agency decisions related to   public school accountability.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 11.185(b), Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (b)  Each plan adopted under Subsection (a) must:                (1)  identify annual goals for students in each group   evaluated under the closing the gaps domain under Section   39.053(c)(3);                (2)  include annual goals for aggregate student growth   on the third grade reading language arts or mathematics assessment   instrument, as applicable, administered under Section 39.023 or on   an alternative assessment instrument determined by the board of   trustees;                (3)  provide for targeted professional development for   classroom teachers in kindergarten or first, second, or third grade   who are assigned to campuses that the board of trustees identifies   as not meeting the plan's goals;                (4)  assign at least one district-level administrator   or employee of the regional education service center for the   district's region to:                      (A)  coordinate implementation of the plan; and                      (B)  submit an annual report to the board of   trustees on the district's progress toward the goals set under the   plan; and                (5)  be reviewed annually by the board of trustees at a   public meeting.          SECTION 2.  Section 21.4552(c), Education Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (c)  The commissioner shall adopt criteria for selecting   teachers who may attend a literacy achievement academy.  In   adopting selection criteria under this subsection, the   commissioner shall:                (1)  require a teacher to attend a literacy achievement   academy if the teacher provides instruction in reading,   mathematics, science, or social studies to students at the sixth,   seventh, or eighth grade level at a campus that fails to satisfy any   standard under Section 39.054(e) on the basis of student   performance on the reading language arts assessment instrument   administered under Section 39.023(a) to students in any grade level   at the campus;                (2)  grant priority to teachers employed by a school   district at a campus at which 50 percent or more of the students   enrolled are educationally disadvantaged; and                (3)  provide a process through which a teacher not   employed at a campus described by Subdivision (2) may attend the   academy if the academy has available space and the school district   employing the teacher pays the costs of the teacher's attendance.          SECTION 3.  Section 26.005, Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          Sec. 26.005.  ACCESS TO STATE ASSESSMENTS AND ASSESSMENT   RESULTS .   (a) Except as provided by Section 39.023(e), a parent is   entitled to access to a copy of each state assessment instrument   administered under Section 39.023 to the parent's child.           (b)     The agency shall make available to a parent the results   of each state assessment instrument administered under Section   39.023 to the parent's child.   The results must be accessible by one   click from the home page of an Internet website maintained by the   agency.   Identifying information that is necessary to access a   child's results must:                 (1)  meet agency security protocols;                 (2)  be unique to the child; and                 (3)     be under the control of the child's parent without   the need to secure additional information from a third party.          SECTION 4.  Section 28.0211(a-8), Education Code, is amended   to read as follows:          (a-8)  A school district may not be required to provide   supplemental instruction under Subsection (a-1)(2) to a student in   more than two subject areas per school year.  If the district would   otherwise be required to provide supplemental instruction to a   student in more than two subject areas for a school year, the   district shall prioritize providing supplemental instruction to   the student in mathematics and reading language arts  [ , or Algebra   I, English I, or English II, as applicable, ] for that school year.          SECTION 5.  Section 29.056(g), Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          (g)  A district may transfer an emergent bilingual student   out of a bilingual education or special language program for the   first time or a subsequent time if the student is able to   participate equally in a regular all-English instructional program   as determined by:                (1)  agency-approved tests administered at the end of   each school year to determine the extent to which the student has   developed oral and written language proficiency and specific   language skills in English;                (2)  satisfactory performance on the reading language   arts assessment instrument under Section 39.023(a) or [ an English   language arts assessment instrument under Section ] 39.023(c), as   applicable, with the assessment instrument administered in   English, or, if the student is enrolled in the first or second   grade, an achievement score at or above the 40th percentile in the   reading and language arts sections of an English standardized test   approved by the agency; and                (3)  agency-approved norm-referenced or   criterion-referenced tests and the results of a subjective teacher   evaluation.          SECTION 6.  Section 29.1543, Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          Sec. 29.1543.  EARLY EDUCATION REPORTS.  The agency shall   produce and make available to the public on the agency's Internet   website annual district and campus-level reports containing   information from the previous school year on early education in   school districts and open-enrollment charter schools.  A report   under this section must contain:                (1)  the information required by Section 29.1532(c) to   be reported through the Public Education Information Management   System (PEIMS);                (2)  a description of the diagnostic reading   instruments administered in accordance with Section 28.006(c) or   (c-2);                (3)  the number of students who were administered a   diagnostic reading instrument administered in accordance with   Section 28.006(c) or (c-2);                (4)  the number of students whose scores from a   diagnostic reading instrument administered in accordance with   Section 28.006(c) or (c-2) indicate reading proficiency;                (5)  the number of kindergarten students who were   enrolled in a prekindergarten program in the previous school year   in the same district or school as the district or school in which   the student attends kindergarten;                (6)  the number and percentage of students who perform   satisfactorily on the third grade reading language arts or   mathematics assessment instrument administered under Section   39.023, disaggregated by whether the student was eligible for free   prekindergarten under Section 29.153;                (7)  the number of students described by Subdivision   (6) who attended kindergarten in the district, disaggregated by:                      (A)  whether the student met the kindergarten   readiness standard on the reading instrument adopted under Section   28.006;                      (B)  whether the student attended prekindergarten   in the district; and                      (C)  the type of prekindergarten the student   attended, if applicable; and                (8)  the information described by Subdivisions (6) and   (7) disaggregated by whether the student is educationally   disadvantaged.          SECTION 7.  Section 39.022, Education Code, is amended to   read as follows:          Sec. 39.022.   INSTRUCTIONALLY SUPPORTIVE ASSESSMENT   PROGRAM. (a) To ensure school accountability for student   achievement that achieves the goals provided under Section 4.002,   the [ The ] State Board of Education by rule shall create and   implement an instructionally supportive [ a ] statewide assessment   program that :                 (1)  provides for progress monitoring;                 (2)  is balanced, innovative, and streamlined; and                 (3)   is knowledge- and skills-based [ to ensure school   accountability for student achievement that achieves the goals   provided under Section 4.002 ].           (b)     The primary objective of an instructionally supportive   assessment program created and implemented under this section is to   benefit the students of this state.           (c)   After adopting rules under this section, the State Board   of Education shall consider the importance of maintaining stability   in the instructionally supportive [ statewide ] assessment program   when adopting any subsequent modification of the rules.           (d)  [ (b) ]  It is the policy of this state that the   instructionally supportive [ statewide ] assessment program be   designed to:                (1)   provide information regarding student academic   achievement and learning progress to:                       (A)     public schools for the purpose of improving   student instruction [ provide assessment instruments that are as   short as practicable ];                       (B)     students, parents, and teachers for the   purpose of guiding learning objectives;                       (C)     education researchers for the purpose of   comparing student academic achievement and learning progress data   at the national and statewide levels; and                  &# [Text truncated for display. 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