Senate Education Committee approves first bill on testing

The Senate Education Committee heard testimony today on SB 135 by Committee Chairman Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston). The bill calls for eliminating the current statutory requirement that end-of-course exams must count for 15 percent of students' course grades. For the past two school years, the Commissioner of Education has deferred implementation of the 15 percent law. Patrick's bill would allow districts to adopt their own policies on how much EOCs should count toward course grades, provided that they do not exceed 15 percent. With the committee's approval today, the bill will move on to the Senate floor for consideration.