DOCUMENT RESUME ED 472 648 EA 032 307 TITLE A Report to the 78th Texas Legislature from the Texas Education Agency. Regional and District Level Report. INSTITUTION Texas Education Agency, Austin. PUB DATE 2002-12-00 NOTE 167p.; Submitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Seventy-Eighth Texas Legislature. For Report to the 77th Texas Legislature, see ED 462 739. AVAILABLE FROM Texas Education Agency, 1701 North Congress, Austin, TX 78701. Tel: 512-463-9734; Web site http://www.tea.state.tx.us. PUB TYPE Numerical/Quantitative Data (110) Reports Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Class Size; *Education Service Centers; Educational Legislation; Educational Policy; Elementary Secondary Education; Government Publications; Public Schools; State Departments of Education; *State Legislation; *State Regulation; *State School District Relationship IDENTIFIERS *Texas. ABSTRACT This report was prepared by the Texas Education Agency in response to Section 39.183 of the Texas Education Code. It consists of five sections. Section 1, "Class Size Limitations," is a summary of school- district compliance with the class-size limitations prescribed by Section 25.112, including the number of districts granted an exception from these limitations. Section 2,"Waivers and Exemptions," summarizes the exemptions and waivers granted to school districts under Section 7.056 or 39.112, and reviews the effectiveness of the campus or district following deregulation. Section 3, "Regional Education Service Center Services," presents a summary of the services offered by regional education service centers with an evaluation of the effectiveness of those services. Section 4,"Accelerated Reading Instruction Program Funding," is an evaluation of accelerated instruction programs offered under Section 28.006, including an assessment of the quality of such programs. Section 5,"Teachers Not Certified in Content Areas," presents the number of classes at each campus that are taught by individuals who are not certified in the content areas of their respective classes. The report provides summary information with analysis, as specified in statute. Name and telephone numbers of contact persons, and other sources of information, are given in the introduction. (RT) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. O A I A A I II ID U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY ViThis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. O Minor changes have been made to An' improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) official OERI position or policy. 1 (1 6 BEST COPY AVAILABLY 0 Regional and District Level Report A Report to the 78th Texas Legislature from the Texas Education Agency Submitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Seventy-Eighth Texas Legislature ThisTexas Education Agency publication is not copyrighted. Any or all sections may be duplicated. (alac9oa. TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY 1701 North Congress Ave.* Austin, Texas 78701-1494 * 512/463-9734 * FAX: 512/463-9838 * http://www.tea.state.tx.us Felipe T. Alanis Commissioner of Education December 2002 The Honorable Rick Perry, Governor of Texas The Honorable Bill Ratliff, Lieutenant Governor of Texas The Honorable Pete Laney, Speaker of the House Members of the 78thTexas Legislature I am pleased to provide to the 78t"Texas Legislature the Regional and District Level Reportwhich was prepared in response to Section 39.183 of the Texas Education Code.This report contains a summary of exceptions to the maximum class-size requirements, a summary of the exemptions and waivers granted to school districts under Section 7.056 and Section 39.112, a summary of services offered by regional education service centers, an evaluation of accelerated instruction programs offered under Section 28.006, including an assessment of the quality of such programs and the performance of students enrolled in such programs; and the number of classes at each campus that are currently being taught by individuals who are not certified in the content areas of their respective classes. This report is now transmitted to you as required by state law. Respectfully submitted, Felipe Alanis Commissioner of Education 4 iii Table of Contents Introduction vi Section I Class Size Limitations 1 Section H Waivers and Exemptions 5 Section III Regional Education Service Centers 7 Section IV Accelerated Reading Instruction Program Funding 23 Section V Teachers Not Certified in Content Area 27 5 v Introduction The following report is prepared by the Texas Education Agency Contact Persons Agency in response to Section 39.183 of the Education For information on regional education service centers, Code.This report contains the five sections identified below. Phillip M. Cochran, Director of ESC/Higher Education Financial Support, (512) 463-9371. Section I. For information on class size limitations and general state Class Size Limitationsa summary of school district waivers, D. Kay Curlee, Manager, State Waivers, compliance with the class-size limitations prescribed by (512) 463-9630. Section 25.112, including the number of districts granted an exception from these limitations; For information on. federal Ed-Flex waivers, B.J. Gibson, Assistant Commissioner, Department of State and Federal Student Initiatives, 512-463-4090. Section II. Waivers and Exemptionsa summary of the exemptions For information on Accelerated Reading Instruction, and waivers granted to school districts under Section Melanie Pritchett, Assistant Commissioner for Statewide 7.056 or 39.112 and a review of the effectiveness of the Initiatives, (512) 463-9027. campus or district following deregulation; and For information on Teacher Certification, State Board for Educator Certification, (512) 469-3000. Section III. Regional Education Service Center Servicesa summary of the services offered by regional education service centers Other Sources of Information with an evaluation of the effectiveness of those services. For a list of general state waivers granted by the commissioner of education, see the waiver report included This report provides summary information with analysis, in the agenda for each State Board of Education (SBOE) as specified in statute.The detailed information upon which meeting. For additional information on class size waivers, the summary reports were prepared is available from the general state waivers and federal Ed-Flex waivers, see Texas Education Agency upon request. the agency's home page at www.tea.state.tx.us. For information relating to regional education service centers and links to each ESC's website, see the agency's home Section IV. page at www.tea.state.tx.us. Evaluation of accelerated instruction programs offered under Section 28.006, including an assessment of the quality of such programs. Section V. The number of classes at each campus that are taught by individuals who are not certified in the content areas of their respective classes. This report provides summary information with analysis, as specified in statute. The detailed information upon which the summary reports were prepared is available from the Texas Education Agency upon request. 6 vi Section I Class Size Limitations A statutory limitation applicable to the size of classes in The commissioner of education may grant class-size certain elementary grades was adopted by the Texas waivers only in cases of undue hardship. Waivers are Legislature in1984. In a phase-in approach written into granted under the following criteria: (1) a district is unable the law, the limit of 22 students to one teacher applied in to employ qualified teachers; (2) a district is unable to the 1985-1986 school year through the 1987-1988 provide educational facilities; or (3) a district which has school year to kindergarten through grade 2 only. The budgeted for a class-size ratio of 22:1 in kindergarten law extended this limitation to kindergarten through grade through grade 4 but has a campus (or campuses) with 4 beginning with the 1988-1989 school year.Today, it is enrollment increases or shifts that result in exceeding this generally recognized that smaller class size in elementary limit by only one or two students in only one section at grades positively affects student achievement. Smaller any grade level on any campus. By law, a class size waiver class size may have contributed to the educational gains may be granted for only one semester at a time. The in Texas public schools. following table shows the number of class size waivers granted for districts as well as the number of campuses Most school districts in Texas comply with the class size and sections covered each semester from 1993-1994 to limitations. Because of the continuing growth of the state's 2001-2002. student population and its mobility, temporary exceptions from the application of the limitation are still needed by some districts, usually for only a few of their classes. (NOTE: Although statute employs the term "exception," the public is more familiar with the term"waiver." Therefore,"waiver" is used in this report.) 7 GrantedDistricts,1993-94 byClass theCampuses, through Texas Size WaiversEducation 2001-2002 and
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