88R9485 PRL-D
By: Guerra H.B. No. 3304
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a study by the Texas Education Agency on the
administration of assessment instruments in Spanish to certain
public school students in grades six through eight.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 39.02303 to read as follows:
Sec. 39.02303. STUDY ON ADMINISTRATION OF CERTAIN
ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS IN SPANISH. (a) In this section, "emergent
bilingual student" has the meaning assigned by Section 29.052.
(b) The agency shall conduct a study regarding the
feasibility of administering assessment instruments adopted under
Section 39.023 and administered to students in grades six through
eight in Spanish for emergent bilingual students whose primary
language is Spanish.
(c) The study must:
(1) examine the extent to which not administering
assessment instruments adopted under Section 39.023 in Spanish to
emergent bilingual students in grades six through eight whose
primary language is Spanish limits the implementation of dual
language immersion/one-way and two-way program models in secondary
schools;
(2) include research regarding how to administer an
assessment instrument described by Subdivision (1) in a manner that
allows, to the extent practicable, the score an emergent bilingual
student receives on the assessment instrument to be statistically
useful for comparison, considering the limited number of emergent
bilingual students, to performance by students administered the
same instrument in English; and
(3) identify and develop a list of nationally
recognized norm-referenced assessment instruments available for
administration in Spanish to students enrolled in dual language
immersion/one-way and two-way programs.
(d) Not later than December 1, 2024, the agency shall
prepare and submit to the legislature a report on the results of the
study and any recommendations for legislative or other action.
(e) This section expires September 1, 2025.
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, 2023.