| 1 | 1 | | 85R7656 KJE-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Swanson H.B. No. 1195 |
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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 inclusion of a civics test in the graduation |
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| 8 | 8 | | requirements for public high school students. |
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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 28.025(c), Education Code, is amended to |
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| 11 | 11 | | read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (c) A person may receive a diploma if the person is eligible |
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| 13 | 13 | | for a diploma under Section 28.0251. In other cases, a student may |
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| 14 | 14 | | graduate and receive a diploma only if: |
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| 15 | 15 | | (1) the student successfully completes the curriculum |
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| 16 | 16 | | requirements identified by the State Board of Education under |
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| 17 | 17 | | Subsection (a) and complies with Sections 28.028 and [Section] |
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| 18 | 18 | | 39.025; or |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) the student successfully completes an |
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| 20 | 20 | | individualized education program developed under Section 29.005. |
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| 21 | 21 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
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| 22 | 22 | | amended by adding Section 28.028 to read as follows: |
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| 23 | 23 | | Sec. 28.028. CIVICS TEST. (a) Each school district shall |
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| 24 | 24 | | administer a civics test to a student in the foundation high school |
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| 25 | 25 | | program under Section 28.025. A student may not receive a high |
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| 26 | 26 | | school diploma until the student has performed satisfactorily on |
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| 27 | 27 | | the civics test. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) The civics test must consist of all of the questions on |
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| 29 | 29 | | the civics test administered by the United States Citizenship and |
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| 30 | 30 | | Immigration Services as part of the naturalization process under |
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| 31 | 31 | | the federal Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 |
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| 32 | 32 | | et seq.). The questions must be presented in a multiple choice |
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| 33 | 33 | | format. |
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| 34 | 34 | | (c) To perform satisfactorily on the civics test, a student |
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| 35 | 35 | | must answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly. |
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| 36 | 36 | | (d) Each school district shall: |
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| 37 | 37 | | (1) establish a time or times during the school year at |
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| 38 | 38 | | which the civics test will be administered; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (2) provide an option to take the test online at any |
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| 40 | 40 | | time and from any location. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (e) A school district may not: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (1) restrict the high school grade level at which a |
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| 43 | 43 | | student may take the civics test; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (2) limit the number of attempts a student may make to |
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| 45 | 45 | | perform satisfactorily on the test; or |
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| 46 | 46 | | (3) charge a student a fee to take the test. |
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| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with students who |
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| 48 | 48 | | enter the ninth grade during the 2017-2018 school year. |
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| 49 | 49 | | SECTION 4. 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, 2017. |
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