Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1893 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R7893 PAM-F
2	2	By: Garcia S.B. No. 1893
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the assessment of public school students in writing and
8	8	English language arts.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 39.023(a), Education Code, as effective
11	11	until on or before September 1, 2015, is amended to read as follows:
12	12	(a) The agency shall adopt or develop appropriate
13	13	criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess
14	14	essential knowledge and skills in reading, English language arts
15	15	[writing], mathematics, social studies, and science. Except as
16	16	provided by Subsection (a-2), all students, other than students
17	17	assessed under Subsection (b) or (l) or exempted under Section
18	18	39.027, shall be assessed in:
19	19	(1) mathematics, annually in grades three through
20	20	seven without the aid of technology and in grade eight with the aid
21	21	of technology on any assessment instrument that includes algebra;
22	22	(2) reading, annually in grades three through eight;
23	23	(3) English language arts [writing], including
24	24	spelling and grammar, in grades four and seven;
25	25	(4) social studies, in grade eight;
26	26	(5) science, in grades five and eight; and
27	27	(6) any other subject and grade required by federal
28	28	law.
29	29	SECTION 2. Section 39.023(a), Education Code, as effective
30	30	on or before September 1, 2015, is amended to read as follows:
31	31	(a) The agency shall adopt or develop appropriate
32	32	criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess
33	33	essential knowledge and skills in reading, English language arts
34	34	[writing], mathematics, social studies, and science. Except as
35	35	provided by Subsection (a-2), all students, other than students
36	36	assessed under Subsection (b) or (l) or exempted under Section
37	37	39.027, shall be assessed in:
38	38	(1) mathematics, in grades three and five without the
39	39	aid of technology and in grade eight with the aid of technology on
40	40	any assessment instrument that includes algebra;
41	41	(2) reading, in grades three, five, and eight;
42	42	(3) English language arts [writing], including
43	43	spelling and grammar, in grades four and seven;
44	44	(4) social studies, in grade eight; and
45	45	(5) science, in grades five and eight.
46	46	SECTION 3. Section 39.023(a), Education Code, as effective
47	47	September 1, 2017, is amended to read as follows:
48	48	(a) The agency shall adopt or develop appropriate
49	49	criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess
50	50	essential knowledge and skills in reading, English language arts
51	51	[writing], mathematics, social studies, and science. Except as
52	52	provided by Subsection (a-2), all students, other than students
53	53	assessed under Subsection (b) or (l) or exempted under Section
54	54	39.027, shall be assessed in:
55	55	(1) mathematics, annually in grades three through
56	56	seven without the aid of technology and in grade eight with the aid
57	57	of technology on any assessment instrument that includes algebra;
58	58	(2) reading, annually in grades three through eight;
59	59	(3) English language arts [writing], including
60	60	spelling and grammar, in grades four and seven;
61	61	(4) social studies, in grade eight;
62	62	(5) science, in grades five and eight; and
63	63	(6) any other subject and grade required by federal
64	64	law.
65	65	SECTION 4. Section 39.023, Education Code, is amended by
66	66	amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (q) to read as
67	67	follows:
68	68	(c) The agency shall also adopt end-of-course assessment
69	69	instruments for secondary-level courses in Algebra I, biology,
70	70	English I, English II, and United States history. The Algebra I
71	71	end-of-course assessment instrument must be administered with the
72	72	aid of technology. The English I and English II end-of-course
73	73	assessment instruments must each assess essential knowledge and
74	74	skills in both reading and language arts [writing] in the same
75	75	assessment instrument and must provide a single score. A school
76	76	district shall comply with State Board of Education rules regarding
77	77	administration of the assessment instruments listed in this
78	78	subsection. If a student is in a special education program under
79	79	Subchapter A, Chapter 29, the student's admission, review, and
80	80	dismissal committee shall determine whether any allowable
81	81	modification is necessary in administering to the student an
82	82	assessment instrument required under this subsection. The State
83	83	Board of Education shall administer the assessment
84	84	instruments. The State Board of Education shall adopt a schedule
85	85	for the administration of end-of-course assessment instruments
86	86	that complies with the requirements of Subsection (c-3).
87	87	(q) A writing sample submitted by a student in connection
88	88	with an assessment instrument administered under this section may
89	89	not be used to assess the student's writing for purposes of
90	90	accountability under this chapter or for purposes of grade
91	91	promotion or graduation criteria. The assessment of a student's
92	92	writing is governed by Section 39.0264.
93	93	SECTION 5. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
94	94	amended by adding Section 39.0264 to read as follows:
95	95	Sec. 39.0264. LOCAL ASSESSMENT REQUIRED: WRITING. To
96	96	evaluate student achievement in writing, each school district shall
97	97	assess students in grades four and seven and at the end of English I
98	98	and English II secondary-level courses in accordance with the
99	99	essential knowledge and skills for writing. A district may use any
100	100	method the district determines appropriate for assessing students
101	101	under this section, including portfolio assessment.
102	102	SECTION 6. Not later than September 1, 2016, the Texas
103	103	Education Agency shall adopt or develop appropriate
104	104	criterion-referenced assessment instruments designed to assess
105	105	essential knowledge and skills in English language arts as required
106	106	by Section 39.023, Education Code, as amended by this Act.
107	107	SECTION 7. This Act applies beginning with the 2016-2017
108	108	school year.
109	109	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
110	110	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
111	111	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
112	112	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
113	113	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.