| 1 | 1 | | 84R8245 MK-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: González H.B. No. 1773 |
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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 the creation of a task force to examine the |
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| 8 | 8 | | effectiveness of school counseling programs in public schools. |
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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. TASK FORCE ON PUBLIC SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS. |
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| 11 | 11 | | (a) A task force is established under this section to examine the |
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| 12 | 12 | | effectiveness of school counseling programs on student performance |
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| 13 | 13 | | in public schools. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) The task force is composed of the following 50 members |
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| 15 | 15 | | appointed by the commissioner of education: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) 20 school counselors; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) 10 individuals who serve on the board of trustees |
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| 18 | 18 | | of a school district; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (3) 10 superintendents; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (4) four representatives of regional education |
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| 21 | 21 | | service centers who have experience with school counseling; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (5) one representative of the State Board of |
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| 23 | 23 | | Education; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (6) one representative of the Texas Education Agency; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (7) two representatives of professional counseling |
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| 26 | 26 | | associations; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (8) two representatives of research organizations |
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| 28 | 28 | | that have conducted academic studies on school counseling. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (c) In making appointments to the task force, the |
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| 30 | 30 | | commissioner of education must include members from the counties |
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| 31 | 31 | | that comprise the Texas-Mexico border area. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (d) The commissioner of education shall appoint the members |
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| 33 | 33 | | of the task force not later than December 1, 2015. The commissioner |
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| 34 | 34 | | shall fill a vacancy in the task force by the appointment of another |
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| 35 | 35 | | person with the same qualifications as the original appointee. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (e) The representative of the Texas Education Agency shall |
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| 37 | 37 | | serve as the presiding officer of the task force. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (f) The presiding officer shall call the initial meeting of |
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| 39 | 39 | | the task force on or before January 1, 2016. The task force shall |
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| 40 | 40 | | meet at the times and places that the presiding officer determines |
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| 41 | 41 | | are appropriate. |
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| 42 | 42 | | (g) Chapter 2110, Government Code, does not apply to the |
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| 43 | 43 | | task force. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 2. DUTIES OF TASK FORCE. The task force shall: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (1) examine whether public schools are using school |
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| 46 | 46 | | counseling programs, including the national framework developed by |
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| 47 | 47 | | the American School Counselor Association; |
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| 48 | 48 | | (2) determine which school counseling programs |
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| 49 | 49 | | schools prefer to use; and |
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| 50 | 50 | | (3) conduct a statistical analysis, incorporating |
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| 51 | 51 | | information on student demographics, to determine the |
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| 52 | 52 | | effectiveness of school counseling programs and the impact on |
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| 53 | 53 | | student achievement and performance. |
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| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than September 1, 2017, the |
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| 55 | 55 | | task force shall deliver a report to the commissioner of education |
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| 56 | 56 | | detailing the task force's findings and recommendations and the |
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| 57 | 57 | | results of the statistical analysis conducted by the task force. |
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| 58 | 58 | | SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. The task force is abolished, and |
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| 59 | 59 | | this Act expires, December 1, 2017. |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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| 61 | 61 | | 1, 2015. |
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