• HB 2818, which would remove the requirement that an online dropout recovery program establish satisfactory requirements for monthly progress.Cognitive learning techniques the bill states that online dropout recovery programs are not subject to minutes of instructions and calculations of average daily attendance (ADA) and would create new requirements for how ADA will be calculated.Cognitive learning techniques

• HB 3012, which would require that school districts provide students an alternative means of instruction for the classes the student misses while in in-school suspension (ISS) or out-of-school suspension (OSS).Cognitive learning techniques the bill states that at least one option should not require the use of the internet. The committee substitute for this bill reduces this requirement to apply only to core courses.Cognitive learning techniques

• HB 1388, which adds indicators of post-secondary readiness to the accountability system. In the student achievement domain, for high school campuses and districts with high school campuses, the bill provides for a measure of students (rather than a percentage of students) who successfully complete an SBOE-approved practicum or internship and students who successfully complete a coherent CTE sequence.Cognitive learning techniques ATPE supports this bill.

• HB 1906, which would allow a parent of a student with severe cognitive disabilities to request that the child be exempted from required assessments.Cognitive learning techniques this bill was amended on the house floor to add a section on evaluating specialized support campuses. For a campus in which at least 90 percent of students receive special education services, the bill would require the commissioner, in consultation with administrators, teachers, parents, and guardians, by rule to establish accountability guidelines for a specialized support campus in developing an alternative accountability program.Cognitive learning techniques

• HB 3511, which would create a commission on the texas workforce of the future. The commission would be established to engage business, state agencies, and local workforce system partners in the efforts of state and local authorities to build the state’s workforce talent pipeline, which includes providing data regarding college and career readiness, workforce credentials, and degree programs.Cognitive learning techniques the commission would be required to make recommendations to the legislature, including statutory changes, in order to improve alignment between workforce stakeholders and public schools and higher education, expanding the adult high school and industry certification charter school program, and encourage long-term collaboration between public education, higher education, and industry.Cognitive learning techniques

• HB 3884, which would transfer duties relating to providing bacterial meningitis information from TEA to the department of state health services.Cognitive learning techniques the bill repeals a section of law referring to TEA’s duty to consult with the texas department of health in prescribing the content of information given to students and to establish an advisory committee.Cognitive learning techniques

The senate education committee also adopted a committee substitute for HB 3906 today that included the language from the senate’s version of HB 3 that deals with the STAAR test.Cognitive learning techniques this includes provisions that would consolidate reading and writing exams in grades four and eight, cap multiple choice questions, and allow the STAAR to be split over multiple days, among others.Cognitive learning techniques chairman larry taylor (R-friendswood) explained that this language would be coming out of HB 3, which is currently in a conference committee to work out differences between the house and senate versions, in order to address the topic in a separate, standalone bill like HB 3906.Cognitive learning techniques

• HB 548, which would require that districts and charters report through the public education information management system (PEIMS) various truancy information, including students subject to compulsory attendance requirements, children who fail to enroll or fail to attend without an excuse for 10 or more days within a six-month period, etc.Cognitive learning techniques

• HB 680, which would require the texas education agency (TEA) to coordinate with the texas workforce commissioner (TWC) on efforts to improve pre-K quality, and assign a PEIMS number to track children under age six enrolled in the commission’s child care program.Cognitive learning techniques the bill would allow local workforce development boards to contract with area child care providers to provide subsidized child care services.Cognitive learning techniques sens. Bettencourt, hall, and bryan hughes (R-mineola) voted against the bill.

• HB 1131, which would create the “texas public finance authority” to act as a paying agent under current law for the guarantee and payment of bonds.Cognitive learning techniques school districts would also be able to borrow money from the new authority. Sens. Bettencourt, hall, and angela paxton (R-mckinney) voted against the bill.Cognitive learning techniques sen. Royce west (D-dallas) registered as present, not voting.

• HB 4205, which would allow repurposed campuses to be operated in partnership with certain nonprofits that have a successful record of operating a campus or charter.Cognitive learning techniques this bill was amended on the house floor to include ACE campus turnaround language. ATPE opposes this bill because it would create a statewide campus turnaround plan that includes elements that could tie a teacher’s evaluation to student test scores.Cognitive learning techniques

• HB 76, which would allow parents the option of participating in an echocardiogram (ECG) or electrocardiogram (EKG) screening program for any student participating in a university interscholastic league (UIL) activity that currently requires a physical examination.Cognitive learning techniques school districts would be required to provide information about the availability of the tests and would able to partner with a nonprofit to provide the service or could pay for the service themselves.Cognitive learning techniques sens. Bettencourt, donna campbell (R-new braunfels), pat fallon (R-prosper), and hall voted against the bill.