(AUSTIN Texas)State Senator Florence Shapiro and Representative Rob Eissler R-The Woodlands today filed Senate Bill 3 and House Bill 3 respectively encompassing the work they have done as chairs of the Select Committee on Public School Accountability over the last interim. The bills put in place new goals and objectives and revamp the current public school accountability system.
Texas has historically been a leader in public school accountability but current projections indicate that Texas will have lower levels of educational attainment by 2040 than we do today. The current system has created an illusion of progress with passing standards on tests and no link to postsecondary readiness whether for college or the workforce.
After traveling the state and listening to concerns about our current system we recognized that change must occur Shapiro said. SB3/HB3 shifts the focus from a single test to overall postsecondary readiness.
The current system looks at one-time performance on a minimum skills test ignoring growth in student achievement resulting in a narrow curriculum and causing schools to devalue enrichment subjects.
We are not here today to belittle our schools our students or our agencies Eissler said. They have met the standards set for them; however we set the bar too low.
Whether our schools are doing well or not under the current system often has little to do with the quality of education students receive in those schools.
The Shapiro-Eissler bill will give schools credit for helping their students demonstrate growth in achievement; and it will utilize a three-year rolling average. The bill also allows campuses to earn distinctions for excellence in a variety of areas using multiple indicators of outstanding performance.
This two-tier system will have an accreditation tier based on postsecondary readiness and a distinction tier based on other indicators Eissler said. While we believe the strong academic core of the 4x4 we passed in the last legislative session is critical for all Texas students we recognize the need for more flexibility for students to pursue an academic path that allows them to nurture their individual interests and talents.
The Texas Diploma Plan requires four years each of English math science and social studies along with two foreign language credits plus the allowance of eight elective credits of a students choice. The Standard Diploma Plan replaces the current minimum plan with four English three math 2 science and 3 social studies credits.
Students under this plan would also need to fulfill one additional credit in either science or social studies and would have the choice of nine electives. Additionally an expanded selection of career and technical education (CTE) courses would be permitted to fulfill some math and science credits.
This new plan is the culmination of many months work with the input of many people including our select committee and numerous stakeholder groups Eissler said. But it is also just a starting point. We are excited about the opportunities this bill holds and look forward to a continued dialogue with these groups to make the bills even better.
