82R7802 VOO-D
By: Jackson H.B. No. 1672
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the education of public school students with dyslexia,
the education and training of educators who teach students with
dyslexia, and the assessment of students with dyslexia attending an
institution of higher education.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 21.044, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 21.044. EDUCATOR PREPARATION. (a) The board shall
propose rules establishing the training requirements a person must
accomplish to obtain a certificate, enter an internship, or enter
an induction-year program. The board shall specify the minimum
academic qualifications required for a certificate.
(b) Any minimum academic qualifications for a certificate
specified under Subsection (a) that require a person to possess a
bachelor's degree must also require that the person receive, as
part of the curriculum for that degree, instruction in detection
and education of students with dyslexia.
(c) The instruction under Subsection (b) must:
(1) be developed by a panel of experts in the diagnosis
and treatment of dyslexia who are:
(A) employed by institutions of higher
education; and
(B) approved by the board; and
(2) include information on:
(A) characteristics of dyslexia;
(B) identification of dyslexia; and
(C) effective, multisensory strategies for
teaching students with dyslexia.
SECTION 2. Section 21.054, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (b) and (c) to read as follows:
(b) Continuing education requirements for an educator who
teaches students with dyslexia must include training regarding new
research and practices in educating students with dyslexia.
(c) The training required under Subsection (b) may be
offered in an online course.
SECTION 3. Section 38.003, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to
read as follows:
(a) Students enrolling in public schools in this state,
regardless of the grade level at which they enroll, shall be tested
for dyslexia and related disorders at appropriate times in
accordance with a program approved by the State Board of Education.
(b) In accordance with the program approved by the State
Board of Education, the board of trustees of each school district
shall provide for the treatment of any student determined to have
dyslexia or a related disorder, regardless of the grade level of the
student.
(b-1) Unless otherwise provided by law, a student
determined to have dyslexia during testing under Subsection (a) or
accommodated because of dyslexia may not be retested for dyslexia
for the purpose of reassessing the student's need for
accommodations until the district reevaluates the information
obtained from previous testing of the student.
SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is
amended by adding Sections 38.0031 and 38.0032 to read as follows:
Sec. 38.0031. DYSLEXIA INFORMATION. A school district
shall provide the parent or guardian of each student attending
kindergarten in the district with information describing
characteristics of and effective treatment for dyslexia.
Sec. 38.0032. CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY PLAN FOR STUDENTS WITH
DYSLEXIA. (a) The agency shall develop a plan for integrating
technology into the classroom to help accommodate students with
dyslexia. The plan must:
(1) determine the classroom technologies that are
useful and practical in assisting public schools in accommodating
students with dyslexia, considering budget constraints of school
districts; and
(2) develop a strategy for providing those effective
technologies to students.
(b) The agency shall provide the plan and information about
the availability and benefits of the technologies identified under
Subsection (a)(1) to school districts.
(c) The commissioner shall adopt rules requiring each
school district to provide the plan adopted under this section and
the information described by Subsection (b) to:
(1) educators in the district who teach students with
dyslexia; and
(2) students with dyslexia enrolled in the district.
SECTION 5. Section 42.006, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
(e) The commissioner shall adopt rules to ensure that,
through the Public Education Information Management System, the
agency collects and maintains data regarding the number of students
with dyslexia enrolled in each school district or open-enrollment
charter school.
SECTION 6. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 51.9701 to read as follows:
Sec. 51.9701. ASSESSMENT FOR DYSLEXIA. Unless otherwise
provided by law, an institution of higher education as defined by
Section 61.003 may not reassess a student determined to have
dyslexia for the purpose of assessing the student's need for
accommodations until the institution of higher education
reevaluates the information obtained from previous assessments of
the student.
SECTION 7. (a) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and
(c) of this section, this Act applies beginning with the 2011-2012
school year.
(b) Section 21.044(b), Education Code, as added by this Act,
applies beginning with persons who commence enrollment in an
institution of higher education during the 2011-2012 academic year.
(c) Section 42.006(e), Education Code, as added by this Act,
applies beginning with the 2012-2013 school year.
(d) Section 51.9701, Education Code, as added by this Act,
applies beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year.
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2011.