1. (a) To assess a student's academic growth during placement in a disciplinary alternative education program, a school district shall administer to a student placed in a program for a period of 90 school days or longer an assessment instrument approved by the commissioner for that purpose. The instrument shall be administered:

   1. (1) initially on placement of the student in the program; and
   2. (2) subsequently on the date of the student's departure from the program, or as near that date as possible.

2. (b) The assessment instrument required by this section:

   1. (1) must be designed to assess at least a student's basic skills in reading and mathematics;

   2. (2) may be:

      1. (A) comparable to any assessment instrument generally administered to students placed in juvenile justice alternative education programs for a similar purpose; or
      2. (B) based on an appropriate alternative assessment instrument developed by the agency to measure student academic growth; and
   3. (3) is in addition to the assessment instruments required to be administered under Chapter 39.
3. (c) The commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section.

Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1240 (H.B. 2532), Sec. 2, eff. June 15, 2007.