Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB1281 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R3337 JRJ-D
2	2	By: McClendon H.B. No. 1281
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the inclusion in the foundation curriculum for public
8	8	schools of instruction in certain skills development to prepare
9	9	students for adult responsibility.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 28.002(a), Education Code, is amended to
12	12	read as follows:
13	13	(a) Each school district that offers kindergarten through
14	14	grade 12 shall offer, as a required curriculum:
15	15	(1) a foundation curriculum that includes:
16	16	(A) English language arts;
17	17	(B) mathematics;
18	18	(C) science; [and]
19	19	(D) social studies, consisting of Texas, United
20	20	States, and world history, government, and geography; and
21	21	(E) adult responsibility education; and
22	22	(2) an enrichment curriculum that includes:
23	23	(A) to the extent possible, languages other than
24	24	English;
25	25	(B) health, with emphasis on the importance of
26	26	proper nutrition and exercise;
27	27	(C) physical education;
28	28	(D) fine arts;
29	29	(E) economics, with emphasis on the free
30	30	enterprise system and its benefits;
31	31	(F) career and technology education;
32	32	(G) technology applications; and
33	33	(H) religious literature, including the Hebrew
34	34	Scriptures (Old Testament) and New Testament, and its impact on
35	35	history and literature.
36	36	SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is
37	37	amended by adding Section 28.0024 to read as follows:
38	38	Sec. 28.0024. ADVISORY PANEL REQUIRED TO DEVELOP CURRICULUM
39	39	FOR ADULT RESPONSIBILITY. (a) Not later than January 1, 2010, the
40	40	agency shall establish an advisory panel under this section to
41	41	develop the required foundation curriculum to teach students skills
42	42	in social, emotional, and behavioral interaction to prepare
43	43	students for adult responsibility. A primary purpose of the adult
44	44	responsibility curriculum is to teach students advanced methods of
45	45	thinking, speaking, learning, and reasoning, including methods
46	46	for:
47	47	(1) effective, nonviolent communication;
48	48	(2) problem solving;
49	49	(3) setting appropriate boundaries and priorities;
50	50	and
51	51	(4) creative decision making.
52	52	(b) The commissioner shall appoint members to the advisory
53	53	panel after consulting with the lieutenant governor, speaker of the
54	54	house of representatives, and the chairs of standing committees of
55	55	the senate and the house of representatives with primary
56	56	jurisdiction over public education. The advisory panel shall
57	57	consist of nine members as follows:
58	58	(1) three members who have professional or practical
59	59	expertise or experience in social and emotional development and
60	60	education;
61	61	(2) three members who are active educators; and
62	62	(3) three members who are business representatives or
63	63	members of the community.
64	64	(c) The appointed members of the advisory panel serve
65	65	staggered three-year terms. The commissioner shall appoint the
66	66	initial members to a three-year term. Following the initial term,
67	67	the commissioner shall appoint the members to terms of one, two, or
68	68	three years as necessary so that one-third of the appointed
69	69	advisory panel members' terms expire each year.
70	70	(d) The commissioner shall designate one member of the
71	71	advisory panel as the presiding officer.
72	72	(e) A member of the advisory panel serves on a voluntary
73	73	basis without compensation.
74	74	(f) The advisory panel may begin meeting after the
75	75	commissioner appoints at least five members to the panel.
76	76	(g) Not later than January 1, 2011, the advisory panel shall
77	77	develop the curriculum as required by this section and report to the
78	78	commissioner and the legislature as provided by this subsection.
79	79	The report must include recommendations regarding:
80	80	(1) whether the adult responsibility curriculum
81	81	should be incorporated into existing classes or provided in
82	82	separate classes before, during, or after the school day;
83	83	(2) the professional requirements for educators who
84	84	provide adult responsibility curriculum instruction;
85	85	(3) appropriate testing practices for measuring
86	86	student progress in the adult responsibility curriculum; and
87	87	(4) other considerations as determined appropriate by
88	88	the advisory panel.
89	89	(h) The commissioner shall report the recommendations
90	90	provided under Subsection (g) to the State Board of Education.
91	91	(i) Not later than September 1, 2011, the State Board of
92	92	Education by rule shall revise the essential knowledge and skills
93	93	as provided by Section 28.002(c) to include the adult
94	94	responsibility curriculum developed under this section based on the
95	95	recommendations of the advisory panel under Subsection (g). The
96	96	State Board of Education shall require school districts to provide
97	97	instruction in the adult responsibility curriculum for:
98	98	(1) kindergarten through grade five beginning with the
99	99	2012-2013 school year;
100	100	(2) grade six through grade eight beginning with the
101	101	2014-2015 school year; and
102	102	(3) grade nine through grade 12 beginning with the
103	103	2016-2017 school year.
104	104	(j) The advisory panel shall deliver a biennial report to
105	105	the commissioner and the legislature that:
106	106	(1) assesses the state's progress in meeting the goals
107	107	stated in the curriculum plans developed under this section; and
108	108	(2) recommends legislative action to assist the state
109	109	in meeting those goals.
110	110	(k) This section expires September 1, 2018.
111	111	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
112	112	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
113	113	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
114	114	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
115	115	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.