HB 1416 - Accelerated/supplemental instruction "clean up" bill

Revises requirements from last session’s HB 4545 to alleviate some of the consequences of that bill, including narrowing the students to whom the requirements apply, lowering required hours, and increasing group instruction size.

Revises requirements from last session’s HB 4545. Accelerated Learning Committees are no longer required. Applies to students failing 3rd–8th grade STAAR tests and high school EOC exams. Reduces tutoring requirement from 30 hours to 15 hours unless the student performed “significantly below satisfactory,” as defined by the commissioner. The tutoring group maximum size is increased from three students to four.

A district cannot be required to tutor a student in more than two subjects per year. If there are more than two that would require tutoring, the district must prioritize math, reading, Algebra I, English I, or English II.

If a student does not perform satisfactorily for two consecutive years, the district must develop an accelerated education plan for that student which includes the reason the student did not perform satisfactorily and a requirement of 30 hours of supplemental instruction. The student may be assigned to a teacher who can better provide accelerated instruction.

Parents can modify or opt out of tutoring requirements and can contest the content or implementation of an accelerated education plan.

If a special education student is assigned an accelerated education plan, it must be reviewed at the next annual ARD committee review. Parents may request an additional meeting if they believe the IEP needs to be modified.

Students in off-campus settings who are assigned an accelerated education plan are only required to receive accelerated instruction when they return to campus. If such a return is not possible, the district does not have to provide the instruction that year.

If at least 60% of the students who were on an accelerated education plan the previous year performed satisfactorily in the current year, the commissioner may waive tutoring requirements. Such a waiver is not allowed if special education students or educationally disadvantaged students are overrepresented among those receiving accelerated instruction the previous year.