By: Van de Putte, Lucio S.B. No. 1538
(In the Senate - Filed March 8, 2013; March 19, 2013, read
first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 2, 2013,
reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 2, 2013, sent to printer.)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1538 By: Lucio
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to evaluating the performance, including computing
dropout and completion rates, of public schools designated as
dropout recovery schools.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 39.0545 to read as follows:
Sec. 39.0545. EVALUATING DROPOUT RECOVERY SCHOOLS.
(a) For purposes of evaluating performance under Section
39.053(c), the commissioner shall designate as a dropout recovery
school a school district or an open-enrollment charter school or a
campus of a district or of an open-enrollment charter school:
(1) that serves students in grades 9 through 12 and has
an enrollment of which at least 50 percent of the students are 17
years of age or older as of September 1 of the school year as
reported for the fall semester Public Education Information
Management System (PEIMS) submission; and
(2) that meets the eligibility requirements for and is
registered under alternative education accountability procedures
adopted by the commissioner.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 39.053(c)(2), the commissioner
shall use the alternative completion rate under this subsection to
determine the student achievement indicator under Section
39.053(c)(2) for a dropout recovery school. The alternative
completion rate shall be the ratio of the total number of students
who graduate, continue attending school into the next academic
year, or receive a high school equivalency certificate to the total
number of students in the longitudinal cohort of students.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 39.053(c)(2), in determining
the performance rating under Section 39.054 of a dropout recovery
school, the commissioner shall include any student described by
Section 39.053(g-1) who graduates or receives a high school
equivalency certificate.
(d) For a dropout recovery school, only the best result from
the primary administration and any retake of an assessment
instrument administered to a student in the school year evaluated
under the accountability procedures adopted by the commissioner may
be considered in determining the performance rating of the school
under Section 39.054.
SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2013-2014
school year.
SECTION 3. 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, 2013.
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