By: Deuell, Huffman S.B. No. 866
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. This subsection does not
apply to a person who obtains a certificate through an alternative
certification program adopted under Section 21.049.
(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
adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
(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 Section 38.0031 to read as follows:
Sec. 38.0031. CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY PLAN FOR STUDENTS WITH
DYSLEXIA. (a) The agency shall establish a committee to 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) A member of the committee established under Subsection
(a) is not entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses incurred
by the member under this section unless agency funds are available
for that purpose.
SECTION 5. 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 6. (a) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and
(c) of this section, this Act applies beginning with the 2011-2012
school year.
(b) Subsection (b), Section 21.044, 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 51.9701, Education Code, as added by this Act,
applies beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year.
SECTION 7. 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.