Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1868 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R2646 JSL-D
2	2	By: Isaac H.B. No. 1868
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the essential knowledge and skills of the required
8	8	public school curriculum and to certain state-adopted or
9	9	state-developed assessment instruments for public school students.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 39.023, Education Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subsections (a-11), (a-12), (a-13), and (a-14) to read as
13	13	follows:
14	14	(a-11) Before an assessment instrument adopted or developed
15	15	under Subsection (a) may be administered under that subsection, the
16	16	assessment instrument must, on the basis of empirical evidence, be
17	17	determined to be valid and reliable by an entity that is independent
18	18	of the agency and of any other entity that developed the assessment
19	19	instrument.
20	20	(a-12) The agency shall ensure that an assessment
21	21	instrument adopted or developed under Subsection (a) is designed to
22	22	primarily assess the essential knowledge and skills identified by
23	23	the State Board of Education under Section 28.002 of the subject and
24	24	for the grade level for which the assessment instrument is
25	25	administered. Only to the extent necessary or helpful for
26	26	diagnostic or reporting purposes, the assessment instrument may
27	27	also assess supporting knowledge or skills that are introduced or
28	28	referenced in the subject and for the grade level for which the
29	29	assessment instrument is administered but that are identified as
30	30	essential knowledge or skills primarily of a different subject or
31	31	for a different grade level.
32	32	(a-13) An assessment instrument adopted or developed under
33	33	Subsection (a) must be designed so that:
34	34	(1) if administered to students in grades three
35	35	through five, 85 percent of students will be able to complete the
36	36	assessment instrument within 120 minutes; and
37	37	(2) if administered to students in grades six through
38	38	eight, 85 percent of students will be able to complete the
39	39	assessment instrument within 180 minutes.
40	40	(a-14) The amount of time allowed for administration of an
41	41	assessment instrument adopted or developed under Subsection (a) may
42	42	not exceed eight hours, and the administration may occur on only one
43	43	day.
44	44	SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
45	45	amended by adding Sections 39.0236 and 39.0237 to read as follows:
46	46	Sec. 39.0236. STUDY OF ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AND
47	47	ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS. (a) The agency shall conduct a study
48	48	regarding the essential knowledge and skills of the required
49	49	curriculum identified by the State Board of Education under Section
50	50	28.002 and assessment instruments administered under Section
51	51	39.023.
52	52	(b) The study must evaluate:
53	53	(1) the number and scope of the essential knowledge
54	54	and skills of each subject of the required curriculum under Section
55	55	28.002, with each essential knowledge or skill identified as a
56	56	readiness or supporting standard, and whether the number or scope
57	57	should be limited;
58	58	(2) the number and subjects of assessment instruments
59	59	under Section 39.023 that are required to be administered to
60	60	students in grades three through eight; and
61	61	(3) how assessment instruments described by
62	62	Subdivision (2) assess standards essential for student success and
63	63	whether the assessment instruments should also assess supporting
64	64	standards, including analysis of:
65	65	(A) the portion of the essential knowledge and
66	66	skills capable of being accurately assessed;
67	67	(B) the appropriate skills that can be assessed
68	68	within the testing parameters under current law; and
69	69	(C) how current standards compare to those
70	70	parameters.
71	71	(c) Not later than March 1, 2016, the agency shall prepare
72	72	and submit to the State Board of Education a report concerning the
73	73	results of the study under Subsection (b). Not later than May 1,
74	74	2016, the State Board of Education shall review the study and shall
75	75	submit to the governor, each member of the legislature, and the
76	76	advisory committee established under Section 39.0237 the agency's
77	77	report and board recommendations regarding each issue evaluated
78	78	under Subsection (b).
79	79	(d) This section expires June 1, 2017.
80	80	Sec. 39.0237. ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO STUDY ESSENTIAL
81	81	KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AND ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS. (a) An advisory
82	82	committee shall be established to review the agency study and State
83	83	Board of Education recommendations under Section 39.0236. The
84	84	committee must be composed of:
85	85	(1) four members of the senate standing committee with
86	86	jurisdiction over public education appointed by the lieutenant
87	87	governor and four members of the house standing committee with
88	88	jurisdiction over public education appointed by the speaker of the
89	89	house of representatives;
90	90	(2) two members of the public appointed by the
91	91	lieutenant governor; and
92	92	(3) two members of the public appointed by the speaker
93	93	of the house of representatives.
94	94	(b) The advisory committee shall review the agency study and
95	95	State Board of Education recommendations under Section 39.0236. If
96	96	the advisory committee determines that the agency study is
97	97	insufficient, the advisory committee may perform an additional
98	98	independent study to evaluate the agency study components required
99	99	under Section 39.0236(b).
100	100	(c) Not later than January 1, 2017, the committee shall
101	101	prepare and submit to the governor, each member of the legislature,
102	102	the commissioner, and the State Board of Education a report that
103	103	includes, as applicable, the results of the committee's review of
104	104	the agency study or the results of the committee's independent
105	105	study and recommendations regarding each issue evaluated under
106	106	Section 39.0236(b).
107	107	(d) Based on the study under Section 39.0236(b) and the
108	108	advisory committee report under Subsection (c), the State Board of
109	109	Education shall adopt policies and procedures to limit the number
110	110	and scope of the essential knowledge and skills of each subject and
111	111	grade level to correspond with the readiness standards capable of
112	112	being accurately assessed by applicable assessment instruments.
113	113	(e) This section expires June 1, 2017.
114	114	SECTION 3. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
115	115	amended by adding Section 39.0381 to read as follows:
116	116	Sec. 39.0381. AUDITING AND MONITORING PERFORMANCE UNDER
117	117	CONTRACTS FOR ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS. (a) The agency by rule shall
118	118	develop a comprehensive methodology for auditing and monitoring
119	119	performance under contracts for services to develop or administer
120	120	assessment instruments required by Section 39.023 to verify
121	121	compliance with contractual obligations.
122	122	(b) The agency shall ensure that all new and renewed
123	123	contracts described by Subsection (a) include a provision that the
124	124	agency or a designee of the agency may conduct periodic contract
125	125	compliance reviews, without advance notice, to monitor vendor
126	126	performance.
127	127	(c) The agency shall adopt rules to administer this section.
128	128	SECTION 4. Section 39.053, Education Code, is amended by
129	129	adding Subsection (c-3) to read as follows:
130	130	(c-3) The indicator of student achievement under Subsection
131	131	(c)(1) may not include student performance as to supporting
132	132	knowledge or skills as described by Section 39.023(a-12).
133	133	SECTION 5. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016
134	134	school year.
135	135	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
136	136	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
137	137	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
138	138	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
139	139	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.