HBA-PDH H.B. 685 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 685
By: Oliveira
Public Education
4/20/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, a school district is not required to provide additional English
language development training if a student is classified as having limited
English proficiency after receiving two years of instruction in English as
a second language.  H.B. 685 requires a school district to provide
additional intensive English language development training to each student
who is still classified as a student of limited English language
proficiency after receiving instruction in English as a second language for
at least two school years.   

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 29.056, Education Code, by adding Subsection
(i), which requires a school district to provide additional intensive
English language development training if a student is classified as having
limited English proficiency after receiving at least two years of
instruction in English as a second language.  Requires a district to
provide training in a manner that enables a student to participate equally
in a regular all-English instructional program as determined in Subsection
(g).  Subsection (g) provides that a student is able to participate equally
in all-English instruction when a student shows oral and written
proficiency in a student's primary language and English, a student scores
at or above the 40th percentile on a reading or language arts section of an
English standardized test approved by the Texas Education Agency, and other
indications of a student's overall progress leading to such a conclusion. 

SECTION 2.  Sets forth that instruction provided prior to the effective
date of this Act is included in the computation for determining the amount
of instruction in English as a second language required by Section 29.056
(i), Education Code. 

SECTION 3.Makes application of this Act prospective beginning with the
2000-2001 school year. 

SECTION 4.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: upon passage.