HB 208 Flores / Lucio

Provides that a student’s enrollment in a dual credit (high school/college) course, regardless of the location of the class, does not affect the student’s eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities or UIL competitions.

HB 1270 Eissler / Van de Putte

Makes implementation by the commissioner of the intensive reading and language intervention pilot program authorized in the 2005 session mandatory rather than optional.

HB 1287 Chisum / Estes

Provides that a district may offer elective courses on the Old and New Testaments and their impact on the history and literature of Western civilization; the course is added to the enrichment curriculum, beginning with the 2009-10 school year. The course must follow applicable laws and guidelines in maintaining religious neutrality and accommodating diverse religious views, traditions, and perspectives of students. A district is not required to use a particular translation of the Bible as the course textbook. The teacher must hold at least a high school composite certificate in language arts, social studies or history and preferably a minor in religion or biblical studies. Staff development training is required to prepare teachers to learn how to present the Bible in an objective manner. A district is not required to offer the course if fewer than 15 students register. Districts may also offer elective courses in other religions.

HB 1609 Crownover / Shapleigh

Requires the commissioner to set standards for the Communities In Schools program and establish performance goals, objectives and measures that consider improvement in student behavior, academic achievement, and promotion, graduation, retention, and dropout rates. The commissioner may withhold funding from a program that consistently does not meet the goals, objectives and measures.

HB 1700 Hilderbran / Fraser

Requires SBOE to assist in developing a nature science curriculum for grades six through 12, to include outdoor experiential learning projects in state parks. The Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Center at Texas Tech will make the curriculum available on its website, and the Tech University Center in Junction will present development courses on how to provide instruction in the curriculum to classroom teachers.

HB 1748 Morrison / Shapiro

Transfers oversight of the Governor’s School Program from TEA to The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

HB 2176 Deshotel / West, Royce

Requires districts to incorporate a parenting and paternity awareness program, developed by the SBOE and the Attorney General’s office, into the high school health curriculum.

HB 2237 Eissler / Shapiro

See detailed analysis here.

HB 2383 Lucio / Lucio

Provides career/technology students with funding to cover the amount of a trade license or certification exam if the student passes the exam and demonstrates financial need.

HB 2504 Eissler / Shapiro

Establishes an intensive mathematics and algebra intervention program to provide additional intervention tools for students performing below grade level in grades 4-7, and algebra readiness intervention for such students in 8th grade. The program may be implemented at campuses with a population of at-risk students exceeding the state average. Programs that may be implemented must include comprehensive course plans and teacher guides organized around the math TEKS; technology-based supplementary instruction; and at least 3 days of teacher training, must provide students with individual access to technology-based supplemental instruction at least 90 minutes per week and provide teachers with daily access to required technology; and must demonstrate effectiveness and be selected in consultation with the teachers on the affected campus.

HB 2814 Eissler / Van de Putte

Creates a dual language education pilot program running through Aug. 1, 2013, to examine dual language programs and the effect on a student’s ability to graduate from high school. Districts must commit to operate a dual language program for at least three years, and preference will be given to districts demonstrating the potential to expand the program through middle and high school, offer at least one language in addition to the language other than English initially used in the program, implement the program in kindergarten, and demonstrate parent/teacher/community support. No more than 10 districts and 30 schools will be selected.

The first year of the program must be limited to planning activities such as hiring and training teachers, ensuring parental and community support, and acquiring learning materials. Participating schools/districts must each establish a “community educational pipeline progress team” appointed by the school board to assist in development of the pilot project. The team must include educators, district administrators, and parents of students at a participating campus. The team will develop an academic improvement plan to consider the district’s educational problems that could be helped by the project and the resources necessary to ensure successful implementation. The school board will annually report to TEA including information on the project’s effects on academic progress; effects on student attendance/dropout rates; effects on student enrollment in high school; effects on teacher performance/retention; improvements in communications among students, parents, teachers and administrators; improvements in parental involvement; effects on community involvement and increases in student proficiency in technology that would help prepare students for becoming members of the workforce. The commissioner will spend up to $4 million to purchase language learning software using language immersion methods to support learning opportunities for up to 1 million students and employees for up to three years. The software will be made available by Jan. 1, 2008.

HB 2864 Chisum / Shapiro

Authorizes a pilot program in rural districts with enrollment of under 3,000 students to finance technology-based supplemental instruction for students in grades 6-12. Funding would be in an amount not to exceed $200 for each student in grades 6-12. Funds can be used for instructional support; teacher training; tutoring or counseling; Internet-based distance learning opportunities aligned with the TEKS in English, math, science, social studies, and languages other than English; and distance learning opportunities providing college credit in those subject areas. Districts must provide matching funding of at least $100 per student in the eligible grade levels, and may use the high school allotment for that purpose. Participating districts must provide students with individual access to technology-based supplemental instruction for at least 10 hours per week.

HB 3171 Swinford / Wentworth

Requires TEA to adopt a universal Internet safety and use curriculum, specifically including information on the danger of giving personal information that can be obtained via websites, the importance of copyright laws, and the consequences of plagiarism and illegal downloading of electronic media.

HB 3485 King, Susan / Shapiro

Requires TEA to establish a panel to recommend revisions to the career/technology curriculum and to the program under which high school students can take advanced technical credit courses. SBOE must revise the career/technology TEKS no later than September 1, 2009, based on the recommendations of the panel. Provides that college credit may be earned in high school through IB, AP or dual credit courses, postsecondary courses provided for local credit or postsecondary advanced technical credit courses provided for state credit. Requires districts to report to TEA the number of students participating in the college credit program and earning college credit. Encourages districts to provide a personal graduation plan for each student entering grade 9 identifying a course of study that promotes college and workforce readiness. Provides that curriculum requirements for math taken after Algebra II or science after physics can be met by successfully completing an advanced career/technology course approved by SBOE for the purpose.

Requires the commissioner to develop a pilot program involving no more than five districts, providing funding for 8th grade students receiving career and technology instruction. TEA will report to the legislature on the effectiveness of the pilot program.

SB 282 Gallegos / Dutton

Requires districts to notify parents of the availability of programs in the district under which a student may earn college credit, including advanced placement programs, dual credit programs, joint high school and college credit programs, and international baccalaureate programs.

SB 673 Zaffirini / Eissler

Allows a student receiving special education services who has completed the fourth year of high school to participate in graduation ceremonies even though the student may continue with the IEP beyond the fourth year. The student does not receive an official diploma until he or she has completed the IEP.

SB 827 West, Royce / Patrick, Diane

Allows middle schools in large urban districts to apply for an agriculture project grant from the Texas Department of Agriculture, previously only available to elementary schools.

SB 1517 Janek / Hochberg

Specifies the advanced or honors courses that are exempt from inclusion in the grade average for purposes of determining extracurricular activity: AP and IB courses, and honors or dual credit courses in English, math, science, social studies, economics, or a language other than English.