H.B. No. 3593
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to instruction in career and technology education provided
  by public schools, including instruction in technology
  applications, cybersecurity, and computer coding, and to
  consideration of completed practicums and internships in school
  accountability ratings.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 28.002, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (f) and (g-2) and adding Subsection (g-3) to
  read as follows:
         (f)  A school district may offer courses for local credit in
  addition to those in the required curriculum. The State Board of
  Education shall:
               (1)  be flexible in approving a course for credit for
  high school graduation under this subsection; and
               (2)  approve courses in cybersecurity for credit for
  high school graduation under this subsection.
         (g-2)  Each school district shall annually report to the
  agency the names of the courses, programs, institutions of higher
  education, and internships in which the district's students have
  enrolled under Subsection (g-1) and the names of the courses and
  institutions of higher education in which the district's students
  have enrolled under Subsection (g-3).  The agency shall make
  available information provided under this subsection to other
  districts.
         (g-3)  A district may also offer a course in cybersecurity
  that is approved by the board of trustees for credit without
  obtaining State Board of Education approval if the district
  partners with a public or private institution of higher education
  that offers an undergraduate degree program in cybersecurity to
  develop and provide the course.
         SECTION 2.  Section 28.025, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (b-12) and (c-1) and adding Subsection (c-10)
  to read as follows:
         (b-12)  In adopting rules under Subsection (b-1), the State
  Board of Education shall adopt criteria to allow a student to comply
  with the curriculum requirements for the two credits in a language
  other than English required under Subsection (b-1)(5) by
  substituting two credits in computer programming languages,
  including computer coding.
         (c-1)  A student may earn an endorsement on the student's
  transcript by successfully completing curriculum requirements for
  that endorsement adopted by the State Board of Education by rule.
  The State Board of Education by rule shall provide students with
  multiple options for earning each endorsement, including, to the
  greatest extent possible, coherent sequences of courses.  The
  State Board of Education by rule must permit a student to enroll in
  courses under more than one endorsement curriculum before the
  student's junior year.  An endorsement under this subsection may be
  earned in any of the following categories:
               (1)  science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
  (STEM), which includes courses directly related to science,
  including environmental science, technology, including computer
  science, cybersecurity, and computer coding, engineering, and
  advanced mathematics;
               (2)  business and industry, which includes courses
  directly related to database management, information technology,
  communications, accounting, finance, marketing, graphic design,
  architecture, construction, welding, logistics, automotive
  technology, agricultural science, and heating, ventilation, and
  air conditioning;
               (3)  public services, which includes courses directly
  related to health sciences and occupations, mental health,
  education and training, law enforcement, and culinary arts and
  hospitality;
               (4)  arts and humanities, which includes courses
  directly related to political science, world languages, cultural
  studies, English literature, history, and fine arts; and
               (5)  multidisciplinary studies, which allows a student
  to:
                     (A)  select courses from the curriculum of each
  endorsement area described by Subdivisions (1) through (4); and
                     (B)  earn credits in a variety of advanced courses
  from multiple content areas sufficient to complete the
  distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school
  program.
         (c-10)  In adopting rules under Subsection (c-1), the State
  Board of Education shall adopt or select five technology
  applications courses on cybersecurity to be included in a
  cybersecurity pathway for the science, technology, engineering,
  and mathematics endorsement.
         SECTION 3.  Section 29.190, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (b) and amending Subsection (c) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  A teacher is entitled to a subsidy under this section if
  the teacher passes a certification examination related to
  cybersecurity.
         (c)  On approval by the commissioner, the agency shall pay
  each school district an amount equal to the cost paid by the
  district for a [the] certification examination under this
  section.  To obtain reimbursement for a subsidy paid under this
  section, a district must:
               (1)  pay the fee for the examination; and
               (2)  submit to the commissioner a written application
  on a form prescribed by the commissioner stating the amount of the
  fee paid under Subdivision (1) for the certification examination.
         SECTION 4.  Section 39.053(c), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (c)  School districts and campuses must be evaluated based on
  five domains of indicators of achievement adopted under this
  section that include:
               (1)  in the first domain, the results of:
                     (A)  assessment instruments required under
  Sections 39.023(a), (c), and (l), including the results of
  assessment instruments required for graduation retaken by a
  student, aggregated across grade levels by subject area, including:
                           (i)  for the performance standard determined
  by the commissioner under Section 39.0241(a),  the percentage of
  students who performed satisfactorily on the assessment
  instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
                           (ii)  for the college readiness performance
  standard as determined under Section 39.0241, the percentage of
  students who performed satisfactorily on the assessment
  instruments, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
                     (B)  assessment instruments required under
  Section 39.023(b), aggregated across grade levels by subject area,
  including the percentage of students who performed satisfactorily
  on the assessment instruments, as determined by the performance
  standard adopted by the agency, aggregated across grade levels by
  subject area;
               (2)  in the second domain:
                     (A)  for assessment instruments under Subdivision
  (1)(A):
                           (i)  for the performance standard determined
  by the commissioner under Section 39.0241(a), the percentage of
  students who met the standard for annual improvement on the
  assessment instruments, as determined by the commissioner by rule
  or by the method for measuring annual improvement under Section
  39.034, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
                           (ii)  for the college readiness performance
  standard as determined under Section 39.0241, the percentage of
  students who met the standard for annual improvement on the
  assessment instruments, as determined by the commissioner by rule
  or by the method for measuring annual improvement under Section
  39.034, aggregated across grade levels by subject area; and
                     (B)  for assessment instruments under Subdivision
  (1)(B), the percentage of students who met the standard for annual
  improvement on the assessment instruments, as determined by the
  commissioner by rule or by the method for measuring annual
  improvement under Section 39.034, aggregated across grade levels by
  subject area;
               (3)  in the third domain, the student academic
  achievement differentials among students from different racial and
  ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds;
               (4)  in the fourth domain:
                     (A)  for evaluating the performance of high school
  campuses and districts that include high school campuses:
                           (i)  dropout rates, including dropout rates
  and district completion rates for grade levels 9 through 12,
  computed in accordance with standards and definitions adopted by
  the National Center for Education Statistics of the United States
  Department of Education;
                           (ii)  high school graduation rates, computed
  in accordance with standards and definitions adopted in compliance
  with the Every Student Succeeds Act [No Child Left Behind Act of
  2001] (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.);
                           (iii)  the percentage of students who
  successfully completed the curriculum requirements for the
  distinguished level of achievement under the foundation high school
  program;
                           (iv)  the percentage of students who
  successfully completed the curriculum requirements for an
  endorsement under Section 28.025(c-1);
                           (v)  the percentage of students who
  completed a coherent sequence of career and technical courses;
                           (vi)  the percentage of students who satisfy
  the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) college readiness benchmarks
  prescribed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under
  Section 51.3062(f) on an assessment instrument in reading, writing,
  or mathematics designated by the Texas Higher Education
  Coordinating Board under Section 51.3062(c);
                           (vii)  the percentage of students who earn
  at least 12 hours of postsecondary credit required for the
  foundation high school program under Section 28.025 or to earn an
  endorsement under Section 28.025(c-1);
                           (viii)  the percentage of students who have
  completed an advanced placement course;
                           (ix)  the percentage of students who enlist
  in the armed forces of the United States; [and]
                           (x)  the percentage of students who earn an
  industry certification; and
                           (xi)  the percentage of students who
  successfully completed a practicum or internship approved by the
  State Board of Education;
                     (B)  for evaluating the performance of middle and
  junior high school and elementary school campuses and districts
  that include those campuses:
                           (i)  student attendance; and
                           (ii)  for middle and junior high school
  campuses:
                                 (a)  dropout rates, computed in the
  manner described by Paragraph (A)(i); and
                                 (b)  the percentage of students in
  grades seven and eight who receive instruction in preparing for
  high school, college, and a career that includes information
  regarding the creation of a high school personal graduation plan
  under Section 28.02121, the distinguished level of achievement
  described by Section 28.025(b-15), each endorsement described by
  Section 28.025(c-1), college readiness standards, and potential
  career choices and the education needed to enter those careers; and
                     (C)  any additional indicators of student
  achievement not associated with performance on standardized
  assessment instruments determined appropriate for consideration by
  the commissioner in consultation with educators, parents, business
  and industry representatives, and employers; and
               (5)  in the fifth domain, three programs or specific
  categories of performance related to community and student
  engagement locally selected and evaluated as provided by Section
  39.0546.
         SECTION 5.  Section 42.154(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  In this section:
               (1)  "Career and technology education class" and
  "career and technology education program" include a technology
  applications course on cybersecurity adopted or selected by the
  State Board of Education under Section 28.025(c-10).
               (2)  "Full-time [, "full-time] equivalent student"
  means 30 hours of contact a week between a student and career and
  technology education program personnel.
         SECTION 6.  Section 42.158, Education Code, is amended by
  adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:
         (a-1)  A school district entitled to an allotment under this
  section may use funds from the district's allotment to renovate an
  existing instructional facility to serve as a dedicated
  cybersecurity computer laboratory.
         SECTION 7.  This Act applies beginning with the 2017-2018
  school year.
         SECTION 8.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 3593 was passed by the House on May 4,
  2017, by the following vote:  Yeas 124, Nays 21, 2 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 3593 on May 26, 2017, by the following vote:  Yeas 112, Nays 27,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 3593 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 2
  4, 2017, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor