Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB866 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Deuell, Huffman S.B. No. 866
2	2	(Jackson)
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the education of public school students with dyslexia,
8	8	the education and training of educators who teach students with
9	9	dyslexia, and the assessment of students with dyslexia attending an
10	10	institution of higher education.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 21.044, Education Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 21.044. EDUCATOR PREPARATION. (a) The board shall
15	15	propose rules establishing the training requirements a person must
16	16	accomplish to obtain a certificate, enter an internship, or enter
17	17	an induction-year program. The board shall specify the minimum
18	18	academic qualifications required for a certificate.
19	19	(b) Any minimum academic qualifications for a certificate
20	20	specified under Subsection (a) that require a person to possess a
21	21	bachelor's degree must also require that the person receive, as
22	22	part of the curriculum for that degree, instruction in detection
23	23	and education of students with dyslexia. This subsection does not
24	24	apply to a person who obtains a certificate through an alternative
25	25	certification program adopted under Section 21.049.
26	26	(c) The instruction under Subsection (b) must:
27	27	(1) be developed by a panel of experts in the diagnosis
28	28	and treatment of dyslexia who are:
29	29	(A) employed by institutions of higher
30	30	education; and
31	31	(B) approved by the board; and
32	32	(2) include information on:
33	33	(A) characteristics of dyslexia;
34	34	(B) identification of dyslexia; and
35	35	(C) effective, multisensory strategies for
36	36	teaching students with dyslexia.
37	37	SECTION 2. Section 21.054, Education Code, is amended by
38	38	adding Subsections (b) and (c) to read as follows:
39	39	(b) Continuing education requirements for an educator who
40	40	teaches students with dyslexia must include training regarding new
41	41	research and practices in educating students with dyslexia.
42	42	(c) The training required under Subsection (b) may be
43	43	offered in an online course.
44	44	SECTION 3. Section 38.003, Education Code, is amended by
45	45	adding Subsection (b-1) to read as follows:
46	46	(b-1) Unless otherwise provided by law, a student
47	47	determined to have dyslexia during testing under Subsection (a) or
48	48	accommodated because of dyslexia may not be retested for dyslexia
49	49	for the purpose of reassessing the student's need for
50	50	accommodations until the district reevaluates the information
51	51	obtained from previous testing of the student.
52	52	SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 38, Education Code, is
53	53	amended by adding Section 38.0031 to read as follows:
54	54	Sec. 38.0031. CLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY PLAN FOR STUDENTS WITH
55	55	DYSLEXIA. (a) The agency shall establish a committee to develop a
56	56	plan for integrating technology into the classroom to help
57	57	accommodate students with dyslexia. The plan must:
58	58	(1) determine the classroom technologies that are
59	59	useful and practical in assisting public schools in accommodating
60	60	students with dyslexia, considering budget constraints of school
61	61	districts; and
62	62	(2) develop a strategy for providing those effective
63	63	technologies to students.
64	64	(b) The agency shall provide the plan and information about
65	65	the availability and benefits of the technologies identified under
66	66	Subsection (a)(1) to school districts.
67	67	(c) A member of the committee established under Subsection
68	68	(a) is not entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses incurred
69	69	by the member under this section unless agency funds are available
70	70	for that purpose.
71	71	SECTION 5. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
72	72	amended by adding Section 51.9701 to read as follows:
73	73	Sec. 51.9701. ASSESSMENT FOR DYSLEXIA. Unless otherwise
74	74	provided by law, an institution of higher education, as defined by
75	75	Section 61.003, may not reassess a student determined to have
76	76	dyslexia for the purpose of assessing the student's need for
77	77	accommodations until the institution of higher education
78	78	reevaluates the information obtained from previous assessments of
79	79	the student.
80	80	SECTION 6. (a) Except as provided by Subsections (b) and
81	81	(c) of this section, this Act applies beginning with the 2011-2012
82	82	school year.
83	83	(b) Subsection (b), Section 21.044, Education Code, as
84	84	added by this Act, applies beginning with persons who commence
85	85	enrollment in an institution of higher education during the
86	86	2011-2012 academic year.
87	87	(c) Section 51.9701, Education Code, as added by this Act,
88	88	applies beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year.
89	89	SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
90	90	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
91	91	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
92	92	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
93	93	Act takes effect September 1, 2011.