| 1 | 1 | | 84R9799 KJE-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Anderson of Dallas H.B. No. 2195 |
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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 administration of college preparation assessment |
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| 8 | 8 | | instruments to public school students at state cost. |
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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. Section 39.0261, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (a-1) to |
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| 12 | 12 | | read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) In addition to the assessment instruments otherwise |
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| 14 | 14 | | authorized or required by this subchapter: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) each school year and at state cost, a school |
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| 16 | 16 | | district may [shall] administer to students in the spring of the |
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| 17 | 17 | | eighth grade an established, valid, reliable, and nationally |
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| 18 | 18 | | norm-referenced preliminary college preparation assessment |
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| 19 | 19 | | instrument for the purpose of diagnosing the academic strengths and |
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| 20 | 20 | | deficiencies of students before entrance into high school; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) each school year and at state cost, a school |
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| 22 | 22 | | district may [shall] administer to students in the 10th grade an |
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| 23 | 23 | | established, valid, reliable, and nationally norm-referenced |
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| 24 | 24 | | preliminary college preparation assessment instrument for the |
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| 25 | 25 | | purpose of measuring a student's progress toward readiness for |
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| 26 | 26 | | college and the workplace; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | (3) high school students in the spring of the 11th |
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| 28 | 28 | | grade or during the 12th grade may select and take once, at state |
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| 29 | 29 | | cost, one of the valid, reliable, and nationally norm-referenced |
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| 30 | 30 | | assessment instruments used by colleges and universities as part of |
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| 31 | 31 | | their undergraduate admissions processes. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (a-1) Testing under Subsection (a) must meet standards |
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| 33 | 33 | | adopted by commissioner rule, including standards concerning: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) test administration, scheduling, and |
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| 35 | 35 | | accommodations; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) data collection; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (3) reporting. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (b) The agency shall: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (1) select and approve vendors of the specific |
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| 40 | 40 | | assessment instruments administered under this section; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) pay all fees associated with the administration of |
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| 42 | 42 | | the assessment instrument from funds appropriated to the agency for |
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| 43 | 43 | | that purpose [allotted under the Foundation School Program, and the |
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| 44 | 44 | | commissioner shall reduce the total amount of state funds allocated |
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| 45 | 45 | | to each district from any source in the same manner described for a |
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| 46 | 46 | | reduction in allotments under Section 42.253]. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016 |
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| 48 | 48 | | school year. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 50 | 50 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 51 | 51 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 53 | 53 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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