Senate Assessment, Accountability Reform Bill Scheduled for Hearing | Aug. 6, 2025

The Senate Education K-16 Committee is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. or upon adjournment of the full Senate on Wednesday, August 6, to consider Senate Bill 8, the Senate's special session school assessment and accountability reform bill.

As filed, the bill would:

• Replace the current STAAR exams with three, through-year tests during more flexible beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year testing windows to begin in the 2027-28 school year.
  • End-of-course exams will also be new with available beginning- and middle-of-year exams.
• Use technology to provide test results within 48 hours.
• Limit benchmark testing.
• Require annual A–F ratings and ban statewide “Not Rated” designations.
• Increase cut scores every five years with the aim of moving Texas into the top 5 states in 15 years. The commissioner would be required to notify districts before changes are implemented.
• Restrict, and in many cases prohibit, school districts from taking action against the state regarding the accountability and assessment systems. 
• Maintain the current 3% cap on students allowed to take paper exams.
• Transfer authority over several aspects of the assessment system from the SBOE to TEA.
• Grant commissioner authority to apply for a federal waiver from testing requirements for schools that 90% or more of students receiving special education services.
• Allow districts to submit additional accountability metrics for student engagement and workforce development to TEA for inclusion in an online dashboard but will not count those metrics toward accountability ratings.
• Allow school districts to choose to use norm-referenced assessments for the beginning- and middle-of-year tests, but end-of-year test for grades 3-8 must be criterion-referenced exam.

The House's identical version of the bill – House Bill 8 – has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing. 

Click here to watch the livestream of the Senate Education K-16 Committee hearing. 

Public testimony will be limited to two minutes, and those wishing to submit written testimony can provide 13 copies to committee staff.