Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1527 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
	1	+	87R10393 ANG-F
1	2		By: Perry S.B. No. 1527
2		-	(In the Senate - Filed March 11, 2021; March 24, 2021, read
3		-	first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 23, 2021,
4		-	reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 10, Nays 0;
5		-	April 23, 2021, sent to printer.)
6		-	Click here to see the committee vote
7	3
8	4
9	5		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
10	6		AN ACT
11	7		relating to measures to assist small and rural school districts in
12	8		implementing a collegiate model and expanding broadband access,
13	9		including the establishment of the Rural Schools and Communities
14	10		Technical Assistance Center and a grant program.
15	11		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
16	12		SECTION 1. Chapter 30, Education Code, is amended by adding
17	13		Subchapter F to read as follows:
18	14		SUBCHAPTER F. RURAL SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
19	15		CENTER
20	16		Sec. 30.401. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "center"
21	17		means the Rural Schools and Communities Technical Assistance
22	18		Center.
23	19		Sec. 30.402. ESTABLISHMENT; PURPOSE. The Rural Schools and
24	20		Communities Technical Assistance Center is established to assist
25	21		small and rural school districts with the implementation and
26	22		expansion of the Collegiate Edu-Nation P-20 System Model for 21st
27	23		Century School Transformation in cooperation with the agency and to
28	24		further ensure better economic and life opportunities by
29	25		facilitating the expansion of broadband development in rural
30	26		communities.
31	27		Sec. 30.403. DUTIES OF CENTER. (a) The center shall
32	28		facilitate the tri-agency alignment for rural students by
33	29		collaborating with the agency, the Texas Higher Education
34	30		Coordinating Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission.
35	31		(b) The center shall assist participating school districts
36	32		in implementing the Collegiate Edu-Nation P-20 System Model for
37		-	21st Century School Transformation to:
	33	+	21st-Century School Transformation to:
38	34		(1) combat generational poverty by fostering high
39	35		aspirations and expectations among students, families, and
40	36		communities for college and career success, with an emphasis on
41	37		workforce shortage areas;
42	38		(2) support attainment of the state's master plan for
43	39		higher education developed under Section 61.051; and
44	40		(3) support implementation of the Pathways in
45	41		Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) programs in
46	42		participating school districts under Subchapter N, Chapter 29.
47	43		Sec. 30.404. SELECTION OF CENTER. The commissioner shall
48	44		select a nonprofit organization to serve as the center and support
49	45		school districts awarded a planning or implementation grant under
50	46		this subchapter. The selected nonprofit organization must have:
51	47		(1) an individual on staff who has previously
52	48		implemented a collegiate model in a rural school district; and
53	49		(2) a demonstrated history of:
54	50		(A) successfully managing rural schools; and
55	51		(B) supporting multiple rural school districts
56	52		in implementing a collegiate model.
57	53		Sec. 30.405. PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS. (a) The
58	54		commissioner shall annually award planning grants to rural or small
59	55		school districts, as determined by commissioner rule, to plan for
60	56		the implementation of a collegiate model.
61	57		(b) The agency shall evaluate each district that receives a
62	58		planning grant under Subsection (a). If the agency determines that
63	59		the district successfully completed planning activities, the
64	60		commissioner shall award the district a one-year grant to implement
65	61		a collegiate model.
66	62		(c) The agency shall evaluate each district that receives an
67	63		implementation grant under Subsection (b). If the agency
68	64		determines that the district successfully completed implementation
69	65		activities in the first year of implementation, the commissioner
70	66		shall award the district an additional one-year implementation
71	67		grant.
72	68		Sec. 30.406. EXPECTED OUTCOMES. (a) By the conclusion of
73	69		the second year of implementation of a collegiate model using a
74	70		grant awarded under Section 30.405(c), the school district must:
75	71		(1) have implemented:
76	72		(A) a dual credit program or a joint high school
77	73		and college credit program;
78	74		(B) a Pathways in Technology Early College High
79	75		School (P-TECH) program under Subchapter N, Chapter 29;
80	76		(C) a research-based college readiness program
81	77		for grades 7 through 12;
82	78		(D) student college and career coaching;
83	79		(E) a common instructional framework and monthly
84	80		instructional review and improvement cycles;
85	81		(F) project-based learning experiences in a
86	82		majority of courses offered by the district;
87	83		(G) career and technical education programs;
88	84		(H) work-based learning opportunities, including
89	85		paid student apprenticeships in science, technology, engineering,
90	86		or mathematics workforce shortage areas;
91	87		(I) formal industry partnerships specific to
92	88		local workforce needs as identified by regional offices of the
93	89		Texas Workforce Commission;
94	90		(J) research-based, nationally norm-referenced
95	91		formative assessments; or
96	92		(K) access to a personal laptop or other
97	93		electronic device for each student; and
98	94		(2) demonstrate progress toward the goal of 90 percent
99	95		of graduating students concurrently earning a high school diploma,
100	96		associate degree, or industry-recognized certification by ensuring
101	97		that at least 30 percent of high school students enrolled in the
102	98		district are enrolled in college courses.
103	99		(b) If a school district that received a grant under Section
104	100		30.405(c) does not achieve the expected outcomes under Subsection
105	101		(a), the center shall work with the district to develop and
106	102		implement an intervention plan to support the district in achieving
107	103		those outcomes.
108	104		Sec. 30.407. SUPPORT OF RURAL BROADBAND INITIATIVES. Each
109	105		school district that receives a grant under Section 30.405 shall
110	106		work closely with relevant state agencies to assist in expanding
111	107		access, adoption, and use of broadband in rural areas to benefit
112	108		educational opportunities and economic development.
113	109		SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
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