Bill Text: TX HB998 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to the qualifications for designation as a dropout recovery school.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-08 - Laid on the table subject to call [HB998 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HB998-Introduced.html
  87R2797 MWC-D
 
  By: Dutton H.B. No. 998
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the qualifications for designation as a dropout
  recovery school and evaluating the performance of dropout recovery
  schools for purposes of the public school accountability system.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 12.1141(c), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (c)  At the end of the term of a charter for an
  open-enrollment charter school, if a charter holder submits to the
  commissioner a petition for renewal of the charter and the charter
  does not meet the criteria for expedited renewal under Subsection
  (b) or for expiration under Subsection (d), the commissioner shall
  use the discretionary consideration process.  The commissioner's
  decision under the discretionary consideration process must take
  into consideration the results of annual evaluations under the
  performance frameworks established under Section 12.1181.  The
  renewal of the charter of an open-enrollment charter school that is
  registered under the agency's alternative education accountability
  procedures for evaluation under Chapter 39 shall be considered
  under the discretionary consideration process regardless of the
  performance ratings under Subchapter C, Chapter 39, of the
  open-enrollment charter school or of any campus operating under the
  charter, except that if the charter holder has been assigned a
  financial accountability performance rating under Subchapter D,
  Chapter 39, indicating financial performance that is lower than
  satisfactory for any three of the five preceding school years, the
  commissioner shall allow the charter to expire under Subsection
  (d).  In considering the renewal of the charter of an
  open-enrollment charter school that is registered under the
  agency's alternative education accountability procedures for
  evaluation under Chapter 39, such as a dropout recovery school or a
  school providing education within a residential treatment
  facility, the commissioner shall use academic criteria established
  by commissioner rule that are appropriate to measure the specific
  goals of the school.  The criteria established by the commissioner
  shall recognize growth in student achievement as well as
  educational attainment.  For purposes of this subsection, the
  commissioner shall designate as a dropout recovery school an
  open-enrollment charter school or a campus of an open-enrollment
  charter school:
               (1)  that serves students in grades 9 through 12 and has
  an enrollment of which at least 50 percent of the students are 16 
  [17] years of age or older as of September 1 of the school year as
  reported for the fall semester Public Education Information
  Management System (PEIMS) submission; and
               (2)  that meets the eligibility requirements for and is
  registered under alternative education accountability procedures
  adopted by the commissioner.
         SECTION 2.  Section 12.137(a), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  This section applies only to:
               (1)  an open-enrollment charter school designated as a
  dropout recovery school as described by Section 12.1141(c) if the
  enrollment of the school consists only of students 16 [17] years of
  age and older; and
               (2)  an adult education program provided under a high
  school diploma and industry certification charter school program
  under Section 29.259.
         SECTION 3.  (a)  Section 39.0548(a), Education Code, is
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  For purposes of evaluating performance under Section
  39.053(c), the commissioner shall designate as a dropout recovery
  school a school district or an open-enrollment charter school or a
  campus of a district or of an open-enrollment charter school:
               (1)  that serves students in grades 9 through 12 and has
  an enrollment of which at least 50 percent of the students are 16 
  [17] years of age or older as of September 1 of the school year as
  reported for the fall semester Public Education Information
  Management System (PEIMS) submission; and
               (2)  that meets the eligibility requirements for and is
  registered under alternative education accountability procedures
  adopted by the commissioner.
         (b)  Effective September 1, 2023, Section 39.0548, Education
  Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (d) and adding
  Subsections (a-1), (e), and (f) to read as follows:
         (a)  For purposes of evaluating performance under Section
  39.053(c), the commissioner shall designate as a dropout recovery
  school a school district or an open-enrollment charter school or a
  campus of a district or of an open-enrollment charter school:
               (1)  that serves students in grades 9 through 12 and has
  an enrollment of which at least 50 percent of the students are 16 
  [17] years of age or older as of September 1 of the school year as
  reported for the fall semester Public Education Information
  Management System (PEIMS) submission; and
               (2)  that [meets the eligibility requirements for and]
  is registered under alternative education accountability
  procedures adopted by the commissioner.
         (a-1)  For purposes of assigning performance ratings under
  Section 39.054, the commissioner shall evaluate a dropout recovery
  school under alternative education accountability procedures
  adopted by the commissioner.
         (d)  For [Notwithstanding Section 39.053(c), for] purposes
  of evaluating a dropout recovery school under the alternative
  education accountability procedures adopted by the commissioner
  [to determine the performance rating of the school under Section
  39.054], only the best result from the primary administration or
  any retake of an assessment instrument administered to a student in
  the school year evaluated may be considered in assigning
  performance ratings for the school under 39.054.
         (e)  To the extent consistent with or permitted by an
  authorized waiver of federal law, the commissioner, for purposes of
  evaluating performance of a dropout recovery school under the
  alternative education accountability procedures adopted by the
  commissioner, shall adopt performance targets for the student
  achievement domain under Section 39.053(c)(1) and the school
  progress domain under Section 39.053(c)(2) that are based on the
  average performance of school districts and campuses registered
  under the alternative education accountability procedures for the
  preceding school year for those respective domains.
         (f)  To the extent consistent with or permitted by an
  authorized waiver of federal law, the commissioner, for purposes of
  evaluating performance of a dropout recovery school under the
  alternative education accountability procedures adopted by the
  commissioner, shall attribute to a dropout recovery school not less
  than a minimum scaled score of 60 for the closing the gaps domain
  under Section 39.053(c)(3).
         SECTION 4.  Sections 12.1141(c) and 12.137(a), Education
  Code, as amended by this Act, and Section 39.0548(a), Education
  Code, as amended by Section 3(a) of this Act, apply beginning with
  the 2021-2022 school year.
         SECTION 5.  (a) Not later than September 1, 2023, the
  commissioner of education shall:
               (1)  obtain any necessary waiver from the application
  of federal law or regulation conflicting with Section 39.0548,
  Education Code, as amended by this Act, effective September 1,
  2023; or
               (2)  receive written notification from the United
  States Department of Education that a waiver is not required for
  Section 39.0548, Education Code, as amended by this Act, effective
  September 1, 2023, to take effect.
         (b)  If the commissioner of education obtains any necessary
  waiver or receives written notification that a waiver is not needed
  as described by Subsection (a) of this section, the commissioner
  shall certify that the commissioner has obtained the waiver or
  received notification that a waiver is not required, as applicable,
  and shall publish notice of that fact in the Texas Register as soon
  as practicable after obtaining the waiver or receiving
  notification.
         SECTION 6.  Except as otherwise provided by this Act, 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.
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