Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB83 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Zwiener, Allen, Talarico, VanDeaver H.B. No. 83
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to authorizing the use of a writing portfolio assessment
7	7	to assess writing performance for public school students.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 39.02301 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 39.02301. OPTIONAL USE OF WRITING PORTFOLIO
12	12	ASSESSMENT. (a) A school district may elect to use a writing
13	13	portfolio assessment to assess writing performance for students
14	14	enrolled in the district as an alternative to administering the
15	15	portion of a reading assessment instrument under Section 39.023(a)
16	16	or English I or English II end-of-course assessment instrument
17	17	under Section 39.023(c) that is not presented in a multiple choice
18	18	format.
19	19	(b) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio
20	20	assessment under this section shall design the assessment in
21	21	consultation with a public or private institution of higher
22	22	education and submit the assessment to the agency for approval. The
23	23	agency shall approve the assessment if the assessment is:
24	24	(1) determined by the public or private institution of
25	25	higher education that consulted on the design of the assessment to
26	26	be valid and reliable; and
27	27	(2) designed to assess:
28	28	(A) a student's mastery of the essential
29	29	knowledge and skills in writing through timed writing samples;
30	30	(B) improvement of a student's writing skills
31	31	from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year;
32	32	(C) a student's ability to follow the writing
33	33	process from rough draft to final product; and
34	34	(D) a student's ability to produce more than one
35	35	type of writing style.
36	36	(c) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio
37	37	assessment under this section may adopt a policy allowing the
38	38	assessment to be scored by a classroom teacher assigned to the same
39	39	campus as the student to whom the assessment is administered. The
40	40	district may coordinate with the regional education service center
41	41	for the district's region in grading the assessments.
42	42	(d) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio
43	43	assessment under this section is not required to administer the
44	44	portion of a reading assessment instrument under Section 39.023(a)
45	45	or English I or English II end-of-course assessment instrument
46	46	under Section 39.023(c) that is not presented in a multiple choice
47	47	format during the period the district is administering the writing
48	48	portfolio assessment. The agency shall, to the greatest extent
49	49	practicable, apply cost savings that result from the exemption
50	50	under this subsection to offset the costs accrued under this
51	51	section.
52	52	(e) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
53	53	implement this section.
54	54	SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2023-2024
55	55	school year.
56	56	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
57	57	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
58	58	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
59	59	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
60	60	Act takes effect September 1, 2023.