| 1 | 1 | | 84R5347 JSL-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Aycock H.B. No. 1341 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to review and modification of the essential knowledge and |
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| 8 | 8 | | skills of the required public school curriculum. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 28.0025 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 28.0025. REVIEW AND MODIFICATION OF ESSENTIAL |
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| 13 | 13 | | KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. (a) The State Board of Education shall: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) conduct a review of the essential knowledge and |
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| 15 | 15 | | skills adopted under Section 28.002; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) modify the essential knowledge and skills to |
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| 17 | 17 | | narrow the number and scope of standards and skills for each subject |
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| 18 | 18 | | and grade level in accordance with this section. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) In complying with this section, the State Board of |
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| 20 | 20 | | Education shall consider: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) for each subject and grade level, the time: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) a teacher would require to provide |
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| 23 | 23 | | comprehensive instruction on a particular standard or skill; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (B) a typical student would require to master a |
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| 25 | 25 | | particular standard or skill; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) whether, in light of the consideration required by |
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| 27 | 27 | | Subdivision (1), each essential knowledge and skill of a subject |
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| 28 | 28 | | can be comprehensively taught within the number of school days |
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| 29 | 29 | | required under Section 25.081, not including the number of days |
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| 30 | 30 | | required for testing; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) the college and career readiness standards, and |
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| 32 | 32 | | whether inclusion of part of those standards in the essential |
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| 33 | 33 | | knowledge and skills of a subject is possible; and |
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| 34 | 34 | | (4) whether an assessment instrument administered |
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| 35 | 35 | | under Section 39.023 adequately assesses a particular standard or |
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| 36 | 36 | | skill. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (c) The State Board of Education shall identify process |
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| 38 | 38 | | skills for each subject in the essential knowledge and skills or use |
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| 39 | 39 | | process skills already identified for each subject in the essential |
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| 40 | 40 | | knowledge and skills to guide the board's modification of the |
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| 41 | 41 | | essential knowledge and skills. The essential knowledge and skills |
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| 42 | 42 | | of a subject must be based on process skills that enable students to |
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| 43 | 43 | | engage with the content of the subject and attain a greater depth of |
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| 44 | 44 | | understanding of content. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (d) In establishing or following an established timeline |
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| 46 | 46 | | for reviewing and modifying the essential knowledge and skills, the |
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| 47 | 47 | | State Board of Education shall ensure that the timeline reflects a |
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| 48 | 48 | | priority to first review and modify a subject for which an |
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| 49 | 49 | | end-of-course assessment instrument under Section 39.023(c) is |
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| 50 | 50 | | administered before a subject for which an assessment instrument |
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| 51 | 51 | | under Section 39.023(a) is administered. The board shall complete |
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| 52 | 52 | | the review and modification of the essential knowledge and skills |
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| 53 | 53 | | for each subject and grade level not later than September 1, 2018. |
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| 54 | 54 | | (e) Until the review and modification under this section is |
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| 55 | 55 | | complete, the State Board of Education shall ensure that each |
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| 56 | 56 | | assessment instrument administered under Section 39.023 beginning |
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| 57 | 57 | | with the 2015-2016 school year assesses only essential knowledge |
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| 58 | 58 | | and skills identified as readiness standards by the agency. |
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| 59 | 59 | | (f) Following the review and modification under this |
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| 60 | 60 | | section, the number and scope of the essential knowledge and skills |
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| 61 | 61 | | for each subject and grade level may not be greater than the number |
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| 62 | 62 | | and scope of the essential knowledge and skills identified as |
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| 63 | 63 | | readiness standards by the agency for each subject and grade level |
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| 64 | 64 | | as of January 1, 2015. |
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| 65 | 65 | | (g) This section expires September 1, 2018. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 67 | 67 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 68 | 68 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 69 | 69 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 70 | 70 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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