HBA-CMT H.B. 3405 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3405
By: King, Tracy
Public Education
4/2/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Past legislation was passed to bring special education students into the
statewide accountability program for standardized testing.  The legislation
called for the assessment instruments to be administered on the same
schedule as the assessment instruments for all other students.  The
administration of the assessment instruments in many schools requires more
than the available  faculty, and some districts are not able to
simultaneously administer both the regular and alternative assessment
instruments.  House Bill 3405 provides that the commissioner of education
establish a schedule as close as practicable to the regular schedule for
students taking the alternative assessment instrument. 

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. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 3405 amends the Education Code to require the
criterion-referenced assessment instruments for special education students
to be administered on a schedule established by the commissioner of
education as close as practicable to the schedule for the assessment
instruments administered to non-special education students.  

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act
takes effect September 1, 2001.