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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to public school students who have dyscalculia. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 7.102(c)(28), Education Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(28) The board shall approve a program for testing |
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students for dyslexia and related disorders and for dyscalculia as |
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provided by Section 38.003. |
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SECTION 2. Section 11.252(a), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a) Each school district shall have a district improvement |
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plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in |
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accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the |
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assistance of the district-level committee established under |
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Section 11.251. The purpose of the district improvement plan is to |
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guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student |
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performance for all student groups in order to attain state |
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standards in respect to the student achievement indicators adopted |
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under Section 39.053. The district improvement plan must include |
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provisions for: |
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(1) a comprehensive needs assessment addressing |
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district student performance on the student achievement |
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indicators, and other appropriate measures of performance, that are |
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disaggregated by all student groups served by the district, |
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including categories of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and |
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populations served by special programs, including students in |
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special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29; |
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(2) measurable district performance objectives for |
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all appropriate student achievement indicators for all student |
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populations, including students in special education programs |
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under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of student |
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performance that may be identified through the comprehensive needs |
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assessment; |
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(3) strategies for improvement of student performance |
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that include: |
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(A) instructional methods for addressing the |
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needs of student groups not achieving their full potential; |
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(B) methods for addressing the needs of students |
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for special programs, such as suicide prevention, conflict |
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resolution, violence prevention, or dyslexia or dyscalculia |
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treatment programs; |
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(C) dropout reduction; |
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(D) integration of technology in instructional |
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and administrative programs; |
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(E) discipline management; |
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(F) staff development for professional staff of |
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the district; |
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(G) career education to assist students in |
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developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a |
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broad range of career opportunities; and |
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(H) accelerated education; |
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(4) strategies for providing to middle school, junior |
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high school, and high school students, those students' teachers and |
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counselors, and those students' parents information about: |
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(A) higher education admissions and financial |
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aid opportunities; |
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(B) the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for |
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Texas grant program established under Chapter 56; |
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(C) the need for students to make informed |
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curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school; |
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and |
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(D) sources of information on higher education |
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admissions and financial aid; |
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(5) resources needed to implement identified |
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strategies; |
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(6) staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment |
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of each strategy; |
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(7) timelines for ongoing monitoring of the |
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implementation of each improvement strategy; and |
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(8) formative evaluation criteria for determining |
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periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended |
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improvement of student performance. |
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SECTION 3. Section 12.012(c), Education Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(c) This section does not permit a home-rule school district |
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to discriminate against a student who has been diagnosed as having a |
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learning disability, including dyslexia, dyscalculia, or attention |
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deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Discrimination prohibited by this |
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subsection includes denial of placement in a gifted and talented |
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program if the student would otherwise be qualified for the program |
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but for the student's learning disability. This section does not |
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permit a home-rule school district to, on the basis of race, |
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socioeconomic status, learning disability, or family support |
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status, place a student in a program other than the highest-level |
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program necessary to ensure the student's success. |
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SECTION 4. Section 21.0482(c), Education Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(c) To be eligible for a master mathematics teacher |
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certificate, a person must: |
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(1) hold a teaching certificate issued under this |
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subchapter; |
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(2) have at least three years of teaching experience; |
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(3) satisfactorily complete a knowledge-based course |
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of instruction on the science of teaching children mathematics that |
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includes training in: |
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(A) mathematics instruction; |
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(B) identification of dyscalculia and effective |
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mathematics instruction techniques for students with dyscalculia; |
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and |
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(C) professional peer mentoring techniques that, |
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through scientific testing, have been proven effective; |
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(4) perform satisfactorily on the appropriate master |
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mathematics teacher certification examination prescribed by the |
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board; and |
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(5) satisfy any other requirements prescribed by the |
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board. |
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SECTION 5. The heading to Section 38.003, Education Code, |
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is amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 38.003. SCREENING AND TREATMENT FOR DYSLEXIA AND |
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RELATED DISORDERS AND FOR DYSCALCULIA. |
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SECTION 6. Sections 38.003(a), (b), and (d), Education |
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Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Students enrolling in public schools in this state shall |
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be tested for dyslexia and related disorders and for dyscalculia at |
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appropriate times in accordance with a program approved by the |
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State Board of Education. |
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(b) In accordance with the program approved by the State |
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Board of Education, the board of trustees of each school district |
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shall provide for the treatment of any student determined to have |
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dyslexia or a related disorder or dyscalculia. |
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(d) In this section: |
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(1) "Dyscalculia" means a specific learning |
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disability or difficulty involving innate difficulty in learning or |
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comprehending mathematics. |
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(2) "Dyslexia" means a disorder of constitutional |
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origin manifested by a difficulty in learning to read, write, or |
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spell, despite conventional instruction, adequate intelligence, |
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and sociocultural opportunity. |
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(3) [(2)] "Related disorders" includes disorders |
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similar to or related to dyslexia, such as developmental auditory |
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imperception, dysphasia, specific developmental dyslexia, |
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developmental dysgraphia, and developmental spelling disability. |
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SECTION 7. Section 42.152(c-1), Education Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(c-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (c), funds allocated under |
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this section may be used to fund in proportion to the percentage of |
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students served by the program that meet the criteria in Section |
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29.081(d) or (g): |
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(1) an accelerated reading instruction program under |
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Section 28.006(g); or |
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(2) a program for treatment of students who have |
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dyslexia or a related disorder or dyscalculia, as required by |
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Section 38.003. |
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SECTION 8. Section 21.0482(c), Education Code, as amended |
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by this Act, applies only to eligibility for a master mathematics |
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teacher certificate issued on or after January 1, 2013. |
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SECTION 9. This Act applies beginning with the 2011-2012 |
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school year. |
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SECTION 10. This Act takes effect immediately if it |
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receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each |
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house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. |
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If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate |
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effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |