This section defines “rigorous research” and requires school districts and the agency to share, maintain, investigate, notify, and restrict provider information and status related to supplemental educational services.
Sec. 26.0082. SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES. (a) In this section, "rigorous research" means research that includes: (1) a study design that employs either a randomized controlled trial or a quasi-experimental design; (2) an adequate measure of outcomes; and (3) reliable and valid results. (b) As part of the annual notice a school district provides to parents under 20 U.S.C. Section 6316(e)(2)(A) concerning supplemental educational services, the district shall include information provided to the district by the agency that: (1) identifies characteristics of supplemental educational services that, based on rigorous research, have been demonstrated to be more likely to foster improvement in student academic performance, including information concerning the minimum number of hours of tutoring necessary for improved performance; and (2) sorts, for each subject for which supplemental educational services are provided, supplemental educational services providers serving district students according to the provider's level of effectiveness in improving student performance in the applicable subject area. (c) The agency shall develop and the commissioner by rule shall establish a process for approving and revoking approval for a supplemental educational services provider. The process must allow the agency to use any publicly available information from any published source in determining whether to approve an entity as a provider, except that the agency may not use information that is self-published or published by a provider for marketing purposes. (d) The agency shall maintain a publicly available list of approved providers. In accordance with standards established by commissioner rule, the agency shall promptly investigate a complaint against an approved provider and promptly remove from the list of approved providers a provider for which agency approval has been revoked. (e) Not later than the fifth business day after the date on which the agency removes a provider from the list of approved providers, the agency shall send notice of the removal to each appropriate school district. The district shall provide notice of the removal to parents of appropriate students. (f) A supplemental educational services provider for which agency approval has been revoked because the agency determines that the provider has engaged in fraudulent activity is permanently prohibited from acting as a provider in this state. Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 646 (H.B. 753), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013.