| 1 | 1 | | 81R24833 CBE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Farrar H.R. No. 1438 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Texas has been nationally recognized for its |
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| 7 | 7 | | leadership in creating an exceptional student-tracking system; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Research has shed light on the state's low |
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| 9 | 9 | | graduation rate, however, and concerns have arisen about the |
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| 10 | 10 | | methodologies used for determining and computing dropout rates; and |
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| 11 | 11 | | WHEREAS, The future of Texas demands that we not only take |
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| 12 | 12 | | action to address the quality of our public schools, but also work |
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| 13 | 13 | | to ensure that our students are provided with a solid educational |
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| 14 | 14 | | foundation that makes them college- and career-ready; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Progress cannot be made until members of the Texas |
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| 16 | 16 | | Legislature, and all concerned Texans, know the exact magnitude of |
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| 17 | 17 | | the problem at hand; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, True transparency in graduation and dropout rates is |
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| 19 | 19 | | of paramount importance in order to address the dropout problem and |
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| 20 | 20 | | to measure the effectiveness of our interventions; now, therefore, |
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| 21 | 21 | | be it |
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| 22 | 22 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
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| 23 | 23 | | Legislature hereby urge the Texas Education Agency to implement the |
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| 24 | 24 | | U.S. Department of Education's final regulations, 34 C.F.R. Section |
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| 25 | 25 | | 200.19, which describes other academic indicators that may be used |
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| 26 | 26 | | to demonstrate adequate yearly progress; and, be it further |
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| 27 | 27 | | RESOLVED, That, under the regulations, the agency must (1) |
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| 28 | 28 | | include adoption of a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate |
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| 29 | 29 | | that compares the number of graduates to first-time ninth graders |
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| 30 | 30 | | four years prior, adjusting for transfers in, transfers out, and |
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| 31 | 31 | | students who have emigrated or died; (2) not remove students from |
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| 32 | 32 | | the cohort for the following reasons: systematic errors or |
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| 33 | 33 | | underreporting, expulsion, earned GED credentials, and unconfirmed |
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| 34 | 34 | | transfers in the case of withdrawals with the intent to attend |
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| 35 | 35 | | homeschooling, to enroll in another Texas public or private school, |
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| 36 | 36 | | or to enroll in an educational setting outside of Texas; and (3) |
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| 37 | 37 | | receive official written documentation for a student who has |
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| 38 | 38 | | transferred out so that the transfer can be verified through audits |
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| 39 | 39 | | or monitoring; documentation is limited to: records from the |
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| 40 | 40 | | receiving school, an approved application for homeschooling or |
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| 41 | 41 | | distance education, evidence of a transfer that is recorded in the |
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| 42 | 42 | | state's data system, or a letter from an official in the receiving |
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| 43 | 43 | | school acknowledging the student's enrollment; and, be it further |
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| 44 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward an official copy of |
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| 45 | 45 | | this resolution to the commissioner of education. |
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