AI-assisted research summary: The State Center for Early Childhood Development must develop a voluntary school readiness certification system, and the agency must help run it and protect student data.
Sec. 29.161. SCHOOL READINESS CERTIFICATION SYSTEM. (a) The State Center for Early Childhood Development, in conjunction with the P-16 Council established under Section 61.076, shall develop and adopt a school readiness certification system for use in certifying the effectiveness of prekindergarten programs, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, government-subsidized child-care programs provided by nonprofit or for-profit entities, government-subsidized faith-based child-care programs, and other government-subsidized child-care programs in preparing children for kindergarten. The system shall be made available on a voluntary basis to program providers seeking to obtain certification as evidence of the quality of the program provided. (b) In developing and adopting the system, the center shall seek the active participation of all interested stakeholders, including parents and program providers. (c) The system must: (1) be reflective of research in the field of early childhood care and education; (2) be well-grounded in the cognitive, social, and emotional development of young children; (3) apply a common set of criteria to each program provider seeking certification, regardless of the type of program or source of program funding; and (4) be capable of fulfilling the reporting and notice requirements of Section 28.006(d). (d) The agency shall collect each student's raw score results on the reading instrument administered under Section 28.006 from each school district using the system created under Subsection (a) and shall contract with the State Center for Early Childhood Development for purposes of this section. (e) The State Center for Early Childhood Development shall, using funds appropriated for the school readiness certification system, provide the system created under Subsection (a) to each school district to report each student's raw score results on the reading instrument administered under Section 28.006. (f) The agency shall: (1) provide assistance to the State Center for Early Childhood Development in developing and adopting the school readiness certification system under this section, including providing access to data for the purpose of locating the teacher and campus of record for students; and (2) require confidentiality and other security measures for student data provided to the State Center for Early Childhood Development as the agency's agent, consistent with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g). Added by Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 275 (S.B. 23), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2005. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 921 (H.B. 3167), Sec. 4.005, eff. September 1, 2007. Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1340 (S.B. 1871), Sec. 3, eff. June 15, 2007. Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1065 (H.B. 2), Sec. 5.16, eff. June 20, 2025.