Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1249 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R3513 RDR-F
2	2	By: Zwiener H.B. No. 1249
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to authorizing the use of a writing portfolio assessment
10	10	to assess writing performance for public school students.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 39, Education Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 39.02301 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 39.02301. OPTIONAL USE OF WRITING PORTFOLIO
15	15	ASSESSMENT. (a) A school district may elect to use a writing
16	16	portfolio assessment to assess writing performance for students
17	17	enrolled in the district as an alternative to administering the
18	18	portion of a reading assessment instrument under Section 39.023(a)
19	19	or English I or English II end-of-course assessment instrument
20	20	under Section 39.023(c) that is not presented in a multiple choice
21	21	format.
22	22	(b) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio
23	23	assessment under this section shall design the assessment in
24	24	consultation with a public or private institution of higher
25	25	education and submit the assessment to the agency for approval. The
26	26	agency shall approve the assessment if the assessment is:
27	27	(1) determined by the public or private institution of
28	28	higher education that consulted on the design of the assessment to
29	29	be valid and reliable; and
30	30	(2) designed to assess:
31	31	(A) a student's mastery of the essential
32	32	knowledge and skills in writing through timed writing samples;
33	33	(B) improvement of a student's writing skills
34	34	from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year;
35	35	(C) a student's ability to follow the writing
36	36	process from rough draft to final product; and
37	37	(D) a student's ability to produce more than one
38	38	type of writing style.
39	39	(c) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio
40	40	assessment under this section may adopt a policy allowing the
41	41	assessment to be scored by a classroom teacher assigned to the same
42	42	campus as the student to whom the assessment is administered. The
43	43	district may coordinate with the regional education service center
44	44	for the district's region in grading the assessments.
45	45	(d) A school district that elects to use a writing portfolio
46	46	assessment under this section is not required to administer the
47	47	portion of a reading assessment instrument under Section 39.023(a)
48	48	or English I or English II end-of-course assessment instrument
49	49	under Section 39.023(c) that is not presented in a multiple choice
50	50	format during the period the district is administering the writing
51	51	portfolio assessment. The agency shall, to the greatest extent
52	52	practicable, apply cost savings that result from the exemption
53	53	under this subsection to offset the costs accrued under this
54	54	section.
55	55	(e) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
56	56	implement this section.
57	57	SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026
58	58	school year.
59	59	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
60	60	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
61	61	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
62	62	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
63	63	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.