87R644 MP-F
By: Lucio S.B. No. 895
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the requirements for a school district improvement
plan.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 11.252, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as
follows:
(a) Each school district shall have a district improvement
plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in
accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the
assistance of the district-level committee established under
Section 11.251. The purpose of the district improvement plan is to
guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student
performance for all student groups in order to attain state
standards in respect to the achievement indicators adopted under
Section 39.053(c). The district improvement plan must include
provisions for:
(1) a comprehensive needs assessment addressing:
(A) district student performance on the
achievement indicators, and other appropriate measures of
performance, that are disaggregated by all student groups served by
the district, including categories of ethnicity, socioeconomic
status, sex, and populations served by special programs, including
students in special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter
29; and
(B) other appropriate measures of district
performance, including school climate as defined by Subsection
(a-1);
(2) measurable district performance objectives for
all appropriate achievement indicators for all student
populations, including students in special education programs
under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of [student]
performance that may be identified through the comprehensive needs
assessment;
(3) strategies for improvement of student performance
that include:
(A) instructional methods for addressing the
needs of student groups not achieving their full potential;
(B) evidence-based practices that address the
needs of students for special programs, including:
(i) suicide prevention programs, in
accordance with Subchapter G, Chapter 38, which include a parental
or guardian notification procedure;
(ii) conflict resolution programs;
(iii) violence prevention programs; and
(iv) dyslexia treatment programs;
(C) dropout reduction;
(D) integration of technology in instructional
and administrative programs;
(E) positive behavior interventions and support,
including interventions and support that integrate best practices
on grief-informed and trauma-informed care;
(F) staff development for professional staff of
the district;
(G) career education to assist students in
developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a
broad range of career opportunities;
(H) accelerated education; [and]
(I) implementation of a comprehensive school
counseling program under Section 33.005; and
(J) methods for promoting a safe and supportive
school climate as defined by Subsection (a-1);
(4) strategies for providing to elementary school,
middle school, junior high school, and high school students, those
students' teachers and school counselors, and those students'
parents information about:
(A) higher education admissions and financial
aid opportunities, including state financial aid opportunities
such as the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for Texas grant
program established under Chapter 56;
(B) the need for students to make informed
curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school;
and
(C) sources of information on higher education
admissions and financial aid;
(5) resources needed to implement identified
strategies;
(6) staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment
of each strategy;
(7) timelines for ongoing monitoring of the
implementation of each improvement strategy;
(8) formative evaluation criteria for determining
periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended
improvement of student performance;
(9) the policy under Section 38.0041 addressing sexual
abuse and other maltreatment of children; and
(10) the trauma-informed care policy required under
Section 38.036.
(a-1) For purposes of Subsection (a), "school climate"
means the quality and character of school life, including
interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and
organizational structures, as experienced by students enrolled in
the school district, parents of those students, and personnel
employed by the district.
SECTION 2. 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, 2021.