The comptroller must compile and publish an annual report about the program, share it with the commissioner, and follow student-data confidentiality rules. The state auditor must review the report and may collect extra data if discrepancies are found.
Sec. 29.371. ANNUAL REPORT. (a) The comptroller, in collaboration with the agency and the certified educational assistance organizations, shall compile program data and produce an annual longitudinal report regarding: (1) the number of program applications received, accepted, and wait-listed, disaggregated by age; (2) program participant satisfaction; (3) the results of assessment instruments shared in accordance with Section 29.357(a)(2); (4) the effect of the program on public and private school capacity and availability; (5) the amount of cost savings accruing to the state as a result of the program; (6) in a report submitted in an even-numbered year only, an estimate of the total amount of funding required for the program for the next state fiscal biennium; (7) the amount of gifts, grants, and donations received under Section 29.370; (8) based on surveys of former program participants or other sources available to an organization, the number and percentage of children participating in the program who, within one year after graduating from high school, are: (A) college ready, as indicated by earning a minimum of 12 non-remedial semester credit hours or the equivalent or an associate degree from a postsecondary educational institution; (B) career ready, as indicated by: (i) earning a credential of value included in a library of credentials established under Section 2308A.007, Government Code; or (ii) employment at or above the median wage in the child's region; or (C) military ready, as indicated by achieving a passing score set by the applicable military branch on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and enlisting in the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard; and (9) the dropout rate, expulsion rate, and graduation rate of participating children who are children with a disability, both aggregated and disaggregated by the child's: (A) grade level; (B) age; (C) sex; (D) race or ethnicity; and (E) category under Section 29.356(b). (b) In producing the report, the comptroller shall: (1) use appropriate analytical and behavioral science methodologies to ensure public confidence in the report; and (2) comply with the requirements regarding the confidentiality of student educational information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g). (c) The report must cover a period of not less than five years and include, subject to Subsection (b)(2), the data analyzed and methodology used. (d) The comptroller shall provide the report for posting on the Internet website established and maintained for the program. (e) The comptroller shall provide the report, including assessment data, to the commissioner. (f) The state auditor shall review and verify the validity of the contents of the comptroller's annual report required under this section. If the state auditor finds any discrepancies in the report, the state auditor may collect the data necessary to verify and audit the data from the comptroller, the applicable certified educational assistance organizations, and the applicable education service providers and vendors of educational products. Added by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 2 (S.B. 2), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2025.