AUSTIN The public school accountability bill CSSB 3 by State Senator Florence Shapiro R-Plano today passed the Texas Senate and is now headed to the House for consideration.
This bill ushers in a new era of public school accountability by making a number of significant changes for students and schools but the overarching goal is to raise the bar so that Texas students are prepared for success in life after school.
This is not only an education bill this is a pro-growth plan for our economy Senator Shapiro said. All Texas children need to be well-prepared for college and for the workforce. Post-secondary readiness not a single test is the standard by which we will now measure our schools under this bill. This legislation will raise educational standards give teachers and schools more flexibility and prepare Texas children for the jobs of tomorrow."
It is estimated 85 percent of newly created U.S. jobs will require some education beyond high school. However current standards for students bound for college are not up to par as evidenced by the Texas high school graduating class of 2007. From that class 10 percent of distinguished program graduates and 33 percent of recommended program graduates were not college-ready in at least one subject area.
Students need competence in the core curriculum to be successful at education beyond high school but they need options in high school that make their education relevant to their lives and interests Senator Shapiro said. This bill does both.
While CSSB 3 prepares students by requiring 4 credits each of English Math Science and Social Studies along with 2 credits of the same foreign language the bill also provides flexibility for students through 8 credits of electives.
I know some have concerns about removing the prescriptive course requirements for students but this proposal values a student and parents ability to choose the electives that best meet the students needs and interests Shapiro said.
This legislation also holds schools accountable for students performance at the passing level as is done in the current system but it expects schools to educate students to a true level of college readiness. For the first time college readiness will be an integral part of the accountability system. A districts accreditation or performance rating will be based on a percentage of students who meet both a passing standard and a college readiness standard.
Were asking more of districts but were also no longer focusing on a single-shot criterion the TAKS test Shapiro said. We look at several measures to see more accurately what the learning trends are.
CSSB 3 counts students that both meet the standard or demonstrate growth in achievement. Included in the bill is a three-year rolling average to account for anomalies that might cause a schools rating to vary widely in one year. The bill also allows schools to earn a variety of distinctions including recognized and exemplary status for an increased percent of students performing at the college readiness level.
For the first time ever the accountability system will provide distinctions for something outside the test as well recognize excellence in areas like Academic Excellence Workforce Fine Arts PE or Second Language Learning Shapiro said. The bill also provides flexibility in sanctioning our schools. Our goal should be improvement not punishmentstandards not excuses.
The bills companion CSHB 3 by Rep. Rob Eissler R-The Woodlands was likewise voted on by the full House today.
AUSTIN The public school accountability bill CSSB 3 by State Senator Florence Shapiro R-Plano today passed the Texas Senate and is now headed to the House for consideration.
This bill ushers in a new era of public school accountability by making a number of significant changes for students and schools but the overarching goal is to raise the bar so that Texas students are prepared for success in life after school.
This is not only an education bill this is a pro-growth plan for our economy Senator Shapiro said. All Texas children need to be well-prepared for college and for the workforce. Post-secondary readiness not a single test is the standard by which we will now measure our schools under this bill. This legislation will raise educational standards give teachers and schools more flexibility and prepare Texas children for the jobs of tomorrow."
It is estimated 85 percent of newly created U.S. jobs will require some education beyond high school. However current standards for students bound for college are not up to par as evidenced by the Texas high school graduating class of 2007. From that class 10 percent of distinguished program graduates and 33 percent of recommended program graduates were not college-ready in at least one subject area.
Students need competence in the core curriculum to be successful at education beyond high school but they need options in high school that make their education relevant to their lives and interests Senator Shapiro said. This bill does both.
While CSSB 3 prepares students by requiring 4 credits each of English Math Science and Social Studies along with 2 credits of the same foreign language the bill also provides flexibility for students through 8 credits of electives.
I know some have concerns about removing the prescriptive course requirements for students but this proposal values a student and parents ability to choose the electives that best meet the students needs and interests Shapiro said.
This legislation also holds schools accountable for students performance at the passing level as is done in the current system but it expects schools to educate students to a true level of college readiness. For the first time college readiness will be an integral part of the accountability system. A districts accreditation or performance rating will be based on a percentage of students who meet both a passing standard and a college readiness standard.
Were asking more of districts but were also no longer focusing on a single-shot criterion the TAKS test Shapiro said. We look at several measures to see more accurately what the learning trends are.
CSSB 3 counts students that both meet the standard or demonstrate growth in achievement. Included in the bill is a three-year rolling average to account for anomalies that might cause a schools rating to vary widely in one year. The bill also allows schools to earn a variety of distinctions including recognized and exemplary status for an increased percent of students performing at the college readiness level.
For the first time ever the accountability system will provide distinctions for something outside the test as well recognize excellence in areas like Academic Excellence Workforce Fine Arts PE or Second Language Learning Shapiro said. The bill also provides flexibility in sanctioning our schools. Our goal should be improvement not punishmentstandards not excuses.
The bills companion CSHB 3 by Rep. Rob Eissler R-The Woodlands was likewise voted on by the full House today.
