| 1 | 1 | | 84R4482 KJE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hernandez H.B. No. 588 |
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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 restricting certain state and school district |
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| 8 | 8 | | assessments of public school students in prekindergarten and |
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| 9 | 9 | | kindergarten. |
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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 B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 39.0264 to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 39.0264. RESTRICTION ON ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS IN |
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| 14 | 14 | | CERTAIN GRADE LEVELS. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), |
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| 15 | 15 | | the agency, the State Board of Education, or a school district may |
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| 16 | 16 | | not require administration of a standardized criterion-referenced |
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| 17 | 17 | | or norm-referenced assessment instrument, including an achievement |
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| 18 | 18 | | test, to students in prekindergarten or kindergarten. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to: |
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| 20 | 20 | | (1) a reading instrument administered under Section |
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| 21 | 21 | | 28.006; |
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| 22 | 22 | | (2) an English language proficiency test under Section |
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| 23 | 23 | | 29.056(a); or |
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| 24 | 24 | | (3) an assessment instrument administered to students |
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| 25 | 25 | | in one or more of a school's prekindergarten or kindergarten |
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| 26 | 26 | | classes to assess learning of specific instructional material, such |
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| 27 | 27 | | as a spelling test. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 2. Section 39.026, Education Code, is amended to |
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| 29 | 29 | | read as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | Sec. 39.026. LOCAL OPTION. In addition to the assessment |
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| 31 | 31 | | instruments adopted by the agency and administered by the State |
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| 32 | 32 | | Board of Education, a school district may adopt and administer |
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| 33 | 33 | | criterion-referenced or norm-referenced assessment instruments, or |
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| 34 | 34 | | both, at any grade level beginning at the first grade level. A |
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| 35 | 35 | | norm-referenced assessment instrument adopted under this section |
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| 36 | 36 | | must be economical, nationally recognized, and state-approved. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2015-2016 |
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| 38 | 38 | | school year. |
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| 39 | 39 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 40 | 40 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 41 | 41 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 42 | 42 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 43 | 43 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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