Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1673 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R9577 GCB-F
2	2	By: VanDeaver H.B. No. 1673
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to eliminating certain state-required assessment
8	8	instruments and certain end-of-course assessment instruments not
9	9	required by federal law.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 39.023(a), Education Code, as effective
12	12	until on or before September 1, 2015, is amended to read as follows:
13	13	(a) The agency shall adopt or develop appropriate
14	14	criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess
15	15	essential knowledge and skills in reading, [writing,] mathematics,
16	16	[social studies,] and science. Except as provided by Subsection
17	17	(a-2), all students, other than students assessed under Subsection
18	18	(b) or (l) or exempted under Section 39.027, shall be assessed in:
19	19	(1) mathematics, annually in grades three through
20	20	seven without the aid of technology and in grade eight with the aid
21	21	of technology on any assessment instrument that includes algebra;
22	22	(2) reading, annually in grades three through eight;
23	23	and
24	24	(3) [writing, including spelling and grammar, in
25	25	grades four and seven;
26	26	[(4) social studies, in grade eight;
27	27	[(5)] science, in grades five and eight[; and
28	28	[(6) any other subject and grade required by federal
29	29	law].
30	30	SECTION 2. Section 39.023(a), Education Code, as effective
31	31	on or before September 1, 2015, is amended to read as follows:
32	32	(a) The agency shall adopt or develop appropriate
33	33	criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess
34	34	essential knowledge and skills in reading, [writing,] mathematics,
35	35	[social studies,] and science. Except as provided by Subsection
36	36	(a-2), all students, other than students assessed under Subsection
37	37	(b) or (l) or exempted under Section 39.027, shall be assessed in:
38	38	(1) mathematics, in grades three and five without the
39	39	aid of technology and in grade eight with the aid of technology on
40	40	any assessment instrument that includes algebra;
41	41	(2) reading, in grades three, five, and eight; and
42	42	(3) [writing, including spelling and grammar, in
43	43	grades four and seven;
44	44	[(4) social studies, in grade eight; and
45	45	[(5)] science, in grades five and eight.
46	46	SECTION 3. Section 39.023(a), Education Code, as effective
47	47	September 1, 2017, is amended to read as follows:
48	48	(a) The agency shall adopt or develop appropriate
49	49	criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess
50	50	essential knowledge and skills in reading, [writing,] mathematics,
51	51	[social studies,] and science. Except as provided by Subsection
52	52	(a-2), all students, other than students assessed under Subsection
53	53	(b) or (l) or exempted under Section 39.027, shall be assessed in:
54	54	(1) mathematics, annually in grades three through
55	55	seven without the aid of technology and in grade eight with the aid
56	56	of technology on any assessment instrument that includes algebra;
57	57	(2) reading, annually in grades three through eight;
58	58	and
59	59	(3) [writing, including spelling and grammar, in
60	60	grades four and seven;
61	61	[(4) social studies, in grade eight;
62	62	[(5)] science, in grades five and eight[; and
63	63	[(6) any other subject and grade required by federal
64	64	law].
65	65	SECTION 4. Section 39.023(c), Education Code, is amended to
66	66	read as follows:
67	67	(c) The agency shall also adopt end-of-course assessment
68	68	instruments for secondary-level courses in mathematics, reading,
69	69	and science only as necessary to comply with the No Child Left
70	70	Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.) to be
71	71	administered only as necessary to meet the minimum requirements of
72	72	that Act [Algebra I, biology, English I, English II, and United
73	73	States history. The Algebra I end-of-course assessment instrument
74	74	must be administered with the aid of technology. The English I and
75	75	English II end-of-course assessment instruments must each assess
76	76	essential knowledge and skills in both reading and writing in the
77	77	same assessment instrument and must provide a single score]. A
78	78	school district shall comply with State Board of Education rules
79	79	regarding administration of the assessment instruments adopted
80	80	under [listed in] this subsection. If a student is in a special
81	81	education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, the student's
82	82	admission, review, and dismissal committee shall determine whether
83	83	any allowable modification is necessary in administering to the
84	84	student an assessment instrument required under this subsection.
85	85	The State Board of Education shall administer the assessment
86	86	instruments. [The State Board of Education shall adopt a schedule
87	87	for the administration of end-of-course assessment instruments
88	88	that complies with the requirements of Subsection (c-3).]
89	89	SECTION 5. Section 39.023(c-3), Education Code, as
90	90	effective until on or before September 1, 2015, is amended to read
91	91	as follows:
92	92	(c-3) The State Board of Education, with input from school
93	93	districts, shall adopt [In adopting] a schedule for the
94	94	administration of assessment instruments under this section that
95	95	minimizes the disruption of classroom instruction [, the State
96	96	Board of Education shall require:
97	97	[(1) assessment instruments administered under
98	98	Subsection (a) to be administered on a schedule so that the first
99	99	assessment instrument is administered at least two weeks later than
100	100	the date on which the first assessment instrument was administered
101	101	under Subsection (a) during the 2006-2007 school year; and
102	102	[(2) the spring administration of end-of-course
103	103	assessment instruments under Subsection (c) to occur in each school
104	104	district not earlier than the first full week in May, except that
105	105	the spring administration of the end-of-course assessment
106	106	instruments in English I and English II must be permitted to occur
107	107	at an earlier date].
108	108	SECTION 6. Section 39.023(c-3), Education Code, as
109	109	effective on or before September 1, 2015, is amended to read as
110	110	follows:
111	111	(c-3) The State Board of Education, with input from school
112	112	districts, shall adopt [In adopting] a schedule for the
113	113	administration of assessment instruments under this section that
114	114	minimizes the disruption of classroom instruction [, the State
115	115	Board of Education shall require:
116	116	[(1) assessment instruments administered under
117	117	Subsections (a), (a-4), (a-5), and (a-6) to be administered on a
118	118	schedule so that the first assessment instrument is administered at
119	119	least two weeks later than the date on which the first assessment
120	120	instrument was administered under Subsection (a) during the
121	121	2006-2007 school year; and
122	122	[(2) the spring administration of end-of-course
123	123	assessment instruments under Subsection (c) to occur in each school
124	124	district not earlier than the first full week in May, except that
125	125	the spring administration of the end-of-course assessment
126	126	instruments in English I and English II must be permitted to occur
127	127	at an earlier date].
128	128	SECTION 7. Section 39.023(c-3), Education Code, as
129	129	effective September 1, 2017, is amended to read as follows:
130	130	(c-3) The State Board of Education, with input from school
131	131	districts, shall adopt [In adopting] a schedule for the
132	132	administration of assessment instruments under this section that
133	133	minimizes the disruption of classroom instruction [, the State
134	134	Board of Education shall require:
135	135	[(1) assessment instruments administered under
136	136	Subsection (a) to be administered on a schedule so that the first
137	137	assessment instrument is administered at least two weeks later than
138	138	the date on which the first assessment instrument was administered
139	139	under Subsection (a) during the 2006-2007 school year; and
140	140	[(2) the spring administration of end-of-course
141	141	assessment instruments under Subsection (c) to occur in each school
142	142	district not earlier than the first full week in May, except that
143	143	the spring administration of the end-of-course assessment
144	144	instruments in English I and English II must be permitted to occur
145	145	at an earlier date].
146	146	SECTION 8. Section 39.023, Education Code, is amended by
147	147	adding Subsection (r) to read as follows:
148	148	(r) Notwithstanding any provision of this section or other
149	149	law, if changes made to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (20
150	150	U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.) reduce the number or frequency of
151	151	assessment instruments required to be administered to students, the
152	152	State Board of Education shall adopt rules reducing the number or
153	153	frequency of assessment instruments administered to students under
154	154	state law, and the commissioner shall ensure that students are not
155	155	assessed in subject areas or in grades that are no longer required
156	156	to meet the minimum requirements of that Act.
157	157	SECTION 9. Section 39.203(c), Education Code, is amended to
158	158	read as follows:
159	159	(c) In addition to the distinction designations described
160	160	by Subsections (a) and (b), a campus that satisfies the criteria
161	161	developed under Section 39.204 shall be awarded a distinction
162	162	designation by the commissioner for outstanding performance in
163	163	academic achievement in [English language arts,] mathematics,
164	164	reading, or science[, or social studies].
165	165	SECTION 10. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016
166	166	school year.
167	167	SECTION 11. This Act takes effect immediately if it
168	168	receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
169	169	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
170	170	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
171	171	effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015.