| 4 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 7 | | relating to providing an opportunity for public high school |
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| 6 | 8 | | students in grades 10 through 12 to take the Armed Services |
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| 7 | 9 | | Vocational Aptitude Battery test or an alternative vocational |
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| 8 | 10 | | aptitude test. |
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| 9 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 29, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 13 | | amended by adding Section 29.9015 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 14 | | Sec. 29.9015. ARMED SERVICES VOCATIONAL APTITUDE BATTERY |
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| 13 | 15 | | TEST. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (d) or (e), each school |
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| 14 | 16 | | year each school district and open-enrollment charter school shall |
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| 15 | 17 | | provide students in grades 10 through 12 an opportunity to take the |
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| 16 | 18 | | Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test and consult with a |
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| 17 | 19 | | military recruiter. |
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| 18 | 20 | | (b) The test under Subsection (a) must be scheduled: |
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| 19 | 21 | | (1) during normal school hours; and |
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| 20 | 22 | | (2) to optimize student participation, at a time that |
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| 21 | 23 | | limits conflicts with extracurricular activities. |
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| 22 | 24 | | (c) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school |
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| 23 | 25 | | shall provide each student in grades 10 through 12 and the student's |
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| 24 | 26 | | parent or person standing in parental relation to the student a |
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| 25 | 27 | | notice of the date, time, and location of the scheduled |
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| 26 | 28 | | administration of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery |
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| 27 | 29 | | test. |
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| 28 | 30 | | (d) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may |
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| 29 | 31 | | elect not to provide the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery |
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| 30 | 32 | | test only if the district or school provides an alternative test |
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| 31 | 33 | | that: |
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| 32 | 34 | | (1) assesses a student's aptitude for success in a |
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| 33 | 35 | | career field other than a career field that requires postsecondary |
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| 34 | 36 | | education; |
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| 35 | 37 | | (2) is free to administer; |
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| 36 | 38 | | (3) requires minimal training and support of district |
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| 37 | 39 | | or school faculty and staff to administer the test; and |
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| 38 | 40 | | (4) provides the student with a professional |
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| 39 | 41 | | interpretation of the test results that allows the student to: |
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| 40 | 42 | | (A) explore occupations that are consistent with |
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| 41 | 43 | | the student's interests and skills; and |
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| 42 | 44 | | (B) develop strategies to attain the student's |
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| 43 | 45 | | career goals. |
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| 44 | 46 | | (e) This subsection applies only to a school district, |
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| 45 | 47 | | open-enrollment charter school, or high school that, before |
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| 46 | 48 | | September 1, 2017, entered into a contract under which a vocational |
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| 47 | 49 | | aptitude test that does not comply with the requirements for an |
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| 48 | 50 | | alternative test under Subsection (d) is provided to students in |
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| 49 | 51 | | grades 10 through 12. A school district, open-enrollment charter |
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| 50 | 52 | | school, or high school subject to this subsection may elect not to |
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| 51 | 53 | | provide the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test for the |
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| 52 | 54 | | term of the contract. On the expiration of the contract term, the |
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| 53 | 55 | | exemption provided by this subsection is not applicable. |
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| 54 | 56 | | (f) Not later than August 1 of each year, the agency shall |
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| 55 | 57 | | publish a list of school districts and open-enrollment charter |
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| 56 | 58 | | schools that elected under Subsection (d) or (e) not to provide the |
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| 57 | 59 | | Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test during the previous |
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| 58 | 60 | | school year. |
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| 59 | 61 | | SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018 |
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| 60 | 62 | | school year. |
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| 61 | 63 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 62 | 64 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 63 | 65 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 64 | 66 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 65 | 67 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |
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