Texas § ED.28.0063 - EARLY LITERACY AND NUMERACY INSTRUMENTS

§ ED.28.0063. EARLY LITERACY AND NUMERACY INSTRUMENTS

EARLY LITERACY AND NUMERACY INSTRUMENTS. (a) The commissioner shall adopt a list of reading and mathematics instruments approved or developed by the commissioner for use by school districts in kindergarten through grade three to measure students' foundational literacy skills in reading development and comprehension and foundational numeracy skills in mathematics. (b) A reading or mathematics instrument adopted under Subsection (a) must: (1) be based on scientific research concerning, as applicable: (A) foundational literacy skills in reading development and comprehension; or (B) foundational numeracy skills in mathematics; (2) be capable of being administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year; (3) be designed to assess the performance of students in, as applicable: (A) the foundational literacy skills components of the essential knowledge and skills adopted under Section 28.002 for language arts; or (B) the foundational numeracy skills components of the essential knowledge and skills adopted under Section 28.002 for mathematics; (4) be capable of monitoring student progress in a manner that allows school district staff to identify specific foundational literacy or numeracy skills in need of targeted instruction; (5) assess whether a student's skills identified as in need of targeted instruction indicate that the student is at risk, as determined by the agency, of not achieving satisfactory performance on the third grade reading language arts or mathematics assessment administered under Section 39.023 ; (6) for a reading instrument for students in kindergarten and first grade, include the applicable elements and criteria to serve as the required screenings for dyslexia and related disorders under Section 38.003 ; and (7) for a reading instrument, allow a school district to generate a report regarding a student's reading progress, including progress from previous administrations of the same instrument, that is clear and easy to understand that may be distributed to the student's parent in English, Spanish, or, to the extent practicable, any other language spoken by the parent. (c) The commissioner shall: (1) update the list of reading and mathematics instruments adopted under Subsection (a) not less than once every four years; (2) ensure the list adopted under Subsection (a) includes multiple reading and mathematics instruments; (3) develop a process by which a school district may submit an instrument to the commissioner for approval; and (4) make publicly available the criteria for the evaluation and approval of an instrument submitted to the commissioner. (d) The instruments adopted or approved under this section shall be administered as follows: (1) for kindergarten, at the middle and end of the school year; (2) for first and second grade, at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year; and (3) for third grade, at the beginning and middle of the school year. (e) The commissioner shall align and determine comparability of the instruments administered under this section with the following instruments: (1) an instrument adopted or approved under Section 28.006 that is administered to a kindergarten student at the beginning of the school year; and (2) a third grade assessment instrument adopted or developed under Section 39.023 that is administered at the end of the school year for a third grade student. (f) If the commissioner determines that a beginning-of-year or middle-of-year assessment instrument adopted or developed under Section 39.023 provides the same intended outcomes as an instrument adopted or approved under this section, the commissioner may substitute that beginning-of-year or middle-of-year assessment instrument for an instrument adopted or approved under this section. (g) A school district shall administer to students in kindergarten through third grade a reading instrument and a mathematics instrument adopted under Subsection (a) in accordance with requirements and recommendations established by the commissioner under this section, including requirements or recommendations related to: (1) administering the instruments; (2) training staff on the instruments; and (3) applying the results of the instruments to the district's instructional program. (h) The superintendent of each school district shall: (1) report to the commissioner and the board of trustees of the district at a public meeting of the board the results of a reading or mathematics instrument administered to students under this section; and (2) not later than the earlier of the 20th school day or the 30th calendar day after the date on which the results of a reading or mathematics instrument are available, report, in writing or electronically, to a student's parent or guardian: (A) the student's results on the instrument; (B) for a reading instrument, the report described by Subsection (b)(7); and (C) if the student is determined to be at risk for dyslexia or a related disorder based on the results of the reading instrument, information regarding that determination. (i) The agency shall establish a list of reading and mathematics instruments adopted under Subsection (a) for which the agency has negotiated a price. A school district is not required to use a method provided by Section 44.031 to purchase an instrument on the list established under this subsection. (j) A student's parent or guardian may submit a written request to the administrator of the campus at which the student is enrolled to opt the student out of the administration of a reading or mathematics instrument required under this section. A school district may not encourage or direct a parent or guardian to submit a written request under this subsection. (k) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section. (l) Section 2001.0045 , Government Code, does not apply to a rule adopted under this section. (m) A school district may comply with the requirements of Subsection (g) by administering a reading or mathematics instrument selected by the board of trustees of the school district that meets the requirements of Subsection (b) until the commissioner adopts the list of reading and mathematics instruments under Subsection (a). This subsection expires September 1, 2029. Added by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1065 (H.B. 2 ), Sec. 5.10, eff. June 20, 2025. Amended by: Acts 2025, 89th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 6 (H.B. 8 ), Sec. 4.004, eff. December 4, 2025.