H.B. No. 3593
AN ACT
relating to instruction in career and technology education provided
by public schools, including instruction in technology
applications, cybersecurity, and computer coding, and to
consideration of completed practicums and internships in school
accountability ratings.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (f) and (g-2) and adding Subsection (g-3) to
read as follows:
(f) A school district may offer courses for local credit in
addition to those in the required curriculum. The State Board of
Education shall:
(1) be flexible in approving a course for credit for
high school graduation under this subsection; and
(2) approve courses in cybersecurity for credit for
high school graduation under this subsection.
(g-2) Each school district shall annually report to the
agency the names of the courses, programs, institutions of higher
education, and internships in which the district's students have
enrolled under Subsection (g-1) and the names of the courses and
institutions of higher education in which the district's students
have enrolled under Subsection (g-3). The agency shall make
available information provided under this subsection to other
districts.
(g-3) A district may also offer a course in cybersecurity
that is approved by the board of trustees for credit without
obtaining State Board of Education approval if the district
partners with a public or private institution of higher education
that offers an undergraduate degree program in cybersecurity to
develop and provide the course.
SECTION 2. Section 28.025, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (b-12) and (c-1) and adding Subsection (c-10)
to read as follows:
(b-12) In adopting rules under Subsection (b-1), the State
Board of Education shall adopt criteria to allow a student to comply
with the curriculum requirements for the two credits in a language
other than English required under Subsection (b-1)(5) by
substituting two credits in computer programming languages,
including computer coding.
(c-1) A student may earn an endorsement on the student's
transcript by successfully completing curriculum requirements for
that endorsement adopted by the State Board of Education by rule.
The State Board of Education by rule shall provide students with
multiple options for earning each endorsement, including, to the
greatest extent possible, coherent sequences of courses. The
State Board of Education by rule must permit a student to enroll in
courses under more than one endorsement curriculum before the
student's junior year. An endorsement under this subsection may be
earned in any of the following categories:
(1) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM), which includes courses directly related to science,
including environmental science, technology, including computer
science, cybersecurity, and computer coding, engineering, and
advanced mathematics;
(2) business and industry, which includes courses
directly related to database management, information technology,
communications, accounting, finance, marketing, graphic design,
architecture, construction, welding, logistics, automotive
technology, agricultural science, and heating, ventilation, and
air conditioning;
(3) public services, which includes courses directly
related to health sciences and occupations, mental health,
education and training, law enforcement, and culinary arts and
hospitality;
(4) arts and humanities, which includes courses
directly related to political science, world languages, cultural
studies, English literature, history, and fine arts; and
(5) multidisciplinary studies, which allows a student
to:
(A) select courses from the curriculum of each
endorsement area described by Subdivisions (1) through (4); and
(B) earn credits in a variety of advanced courses
from multiple content areas sufficient to complete the
distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school
program.
(c-10) In adopting rules under Subsection (c-1), the State
Board of Education shall adopt or select five technology
applications courses on cybersecurity to be included in a
cybersecurity pathway for the science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics endorsement.
SECTION 3. Section 29.190, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (b) and amending Subsection (c) to read as
follows:
(b) A teacher is entitled to a subsidy under this section if
the teacher passes a certification examination related to
cybersecurity.
(c) On approval by the commissioner, the agency shall pay
each school district an amount equal to the cost paid by the
district for a [the] certification examination under this
section. To obtain reimbursement for a subsidy paid under this
section, a district must:
(1) pay the fee for the examination; and
(2) submit to the commissioner a written application
on a form prescribed by the commissioner stating the amount of the
fee paid under Subdivision (1) for the certification examination.
SECTION 4. Section 39.053(c), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) School districts and campuses must be evaluated based on
five domains of indicators of achievement adopted under this
section that include:
(1) in the first domain, the results of:
(A) assessment instruments required under
Sections 39.023(a), (c), and (l), including the results of
assessment instruments required for graduation retaken by a
student, aggregated across grade levels by subject area, including:
(i) for the performance standard determined
by the commissioner under Section 39.0241(a), the percentage of
students who performed satisfactorily on the assessment
instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
(ii) for the college readiness performance
standard as determined under Section 39.0241, the percentage of
students who performed satisfactorily on the assessment
instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
(B) assessment instruments required under
Section 39.023(b), aggregated across grade levels by subject area,
including the percentage of students who performed satisfactorily
on the assessment instruments, as determined by the performance
standard adopted by the agency, aggregated across grade levels by
subject area;
(2) in the second domain:
(A) for assessment instruments under Subdivision
(1)(A):
(i) for the performance standard determined
by the commissioner under Section 39.0241(a), the percentage of
students who met the standard for annual improvement on the
assessment instruments, as determined by the commissioner by rule
or by the method for measuring annual improvement under Section
39.034, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
(ii) for the college readiness performance
standard as determined under Section 39.0241, the percentage of
students who met the standard for annual improvement on the
assessment instruments, as determined by the commissioner by rule
or by the method for measuring annual improvement under Section
39.034, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
(B) for assessment instruments under Subdivision
(1)(B), the percentage of students who met the standard for annual
improvement on the assessment instruments, as determined by the
commissioner by rule or by the method for measuring annual
improvement under Section 39.034, aggregated across grade levels by
subject area;
(3) in the third domain, the student academic
achievement differentials among students from different racial and
ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds;
(4) in the fourth domain:
(A) for evaluating the performance of high school
campuses and districts that include high school campuses:
(i) dropout rates, including dropout rates
and district completion rates for grade levels 9 through 12,
computed in accordance with standards and definitions adopted by
the National Center for Education Statistics of the United States
Department of Education;
(ii) high school graduation rates, computed
in accordance with standards and definitions adopted in compliance
with the Every Student Succeeds Act [No Child Left Behind Act of
2001] (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.);
(iii) the percentage of students who
successfully completed the curriculum requirements for the
distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school
program;
(iv) the percentage of students who
successfully completed the curriculum requirements for an
endorsement under Section 28.025(c-1);
(v) the percentage of students who
completed a coherent sequence of career and technical courses;
(vi) the percentage of students who satisfy
the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks
prescribed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under
Section 51.3062(f) on an assessment instrument in reading, writing,
or mathematics designated by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board under Section 51.3062(c);
(vii) the percentage of students who earn
at least 12 hours of postsecondary credit required for the
foundation high school program under Section 28.025 or to earn an
endorsement under Section 28.025(c-1);
(viii) the percentage of students who have
completed an advanced placement course;
(ix) the percentage of students who enlist
in the armed forces of the United States; [and]
(x) the percentage of students who earn an
industry certification; and
(xi) the percentage of students who
successfully completed a practicum or internship approved by the
State Board of Education;
(B) for evaluating the performance of middle and
junior high school and elementary school campuses and districts
that include those campuses:
(i) student attendance; and
(ii) for middle and junior high school
campuses:
(a) dropout rates, computed in the
manner described by Paragraph (A)(i); and
(b) the percentage of students in
grades seven and eight who receive instruction in preparing for
high school, college, and a career that includes information
regarding the creation of a high school personal graduation plan
under Section 28.02121, the distinguished level of achievement
described by Section 28.025(b-15), each endorsement described by
Section 28.025(c-1), college readiness standards, and potential
career choices and the education needed to enter those careers; and
(C) any additional indicators of student
achievement not associated with performance on standardized
assessment instruments determined appropriate for consideration by
the commissioner in consultation with educators, parents, business
and industry representatives, and employers; and
(5) in the fifth domain, three programs or specific
categories of performance related to community and student
engagement locally selected and evaluated as provided by Section
39.0546.
SECTION 5. Section 42.154(b), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) In this section:
(1) "Career and technology education class" and
"career and technology education program" include a technology
applications course on cybersecurity adopted or selected by the
State Board of Education under Section 28.025(c-10).
(2) "Full-time [, "full-time] equivalent student"
means 30 hours of contact a week between a student and career and
technology education program personnel.
SECTION 6. Section 42.158, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
(a-1) A school district entitled to an allotment under this
section may use funds from the district's allotment to renovate an
existing instructional facility to serve as a dedicated
cybersecurity computer laboratory.
SECTION 7. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018
school year.
SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3593 was passed by the House on May 4,
2017, by the following vote: Yeas 124, Nays 21, 2 present, not
voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
No. 3593 on May 26, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 112, Nays 27,
2 present, not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 3593 was passed by the Senate, with
amendments, on May 2
4, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays
0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: __________________
Date
__________________
Governor