| 1 | 1 | | 84R9601 KKA-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Deshotel H.B. No. 2223 |
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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 training academies for public school teachers who |
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| 8 | 8 | | provide reading comprehension instruction to students in grades |
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| 9 | 9 | | four and five. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter J, Chapter 21, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 21.4554 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 21.4554. READING-TO-LEARN ACADEMIES. (a) The |
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| 14 | 14 | | commissioner shall develop and make available reading-to-learn |
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| 15 | 15 | | academies for teachers who provide reading comprehension |
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| 16 | 16 | | instruction to students at the fourth or fifth grade level. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (b) A reading-to-learn academy developed under this section |
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| 18 | 18 | | must: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) include effective instructional practices that |
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| 20 | 20 | | promote student development of reading comprehension and |
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| 21 | 21 | | inferential and critical thinking; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) provide participating teachers with access to the |
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| 23 | 23 | | academy training materials through the Internet after the teachers |
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| 24 | 24 | | attend the academy. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (c) The commissioner shall adopt criteria for selecting |
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| 26 | 26 | | teachers who may attend a reading-to-learn academy. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (d) From funds appropriated for that purpose, a teacher who |
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| 28 | 28 | | attends a reading-to-learn academy is entitled to receive a stipend |
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| 29 | 29 | | in the amount determined by the commissioner to cover expenses of |
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| 30 | 30 | | attending the academy. A stipend received under this subsection is |
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| 31 | 31 | | not considered in determining whether a district is paying the |
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| 32 | 32 | | teacher the minimum monthly salary under Section 21.402. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 34 | 34 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 35 | 35 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 36 | 36 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 37 | 37 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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