Paxton’s bill requiring early math tests through third grade

The text as introduced · 867 words

By: Paxton
S.B. No. 2527

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to early assessment and interventions for school district

students.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 28.0071 to read as follows:

Sec. 28.0071. EARLY MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT AND

IMPROVEMENT. (a) The commissioner shall adopt a list of approved

or developed mathematics instruments that a school district may use

to assess a student's mathematics skills in kindergarten through

third grade.

(b) The mathematics instruments on the list adopted under

Subsection (a) must:

(1) be designed to be administered at least at the

beginning, middle, and end of the school year;

(2) align with best practices for early mathematics

assessment;

(3) be based on scientific research concerning

foundational numeracy skills in mathematics;

(4) allow for statewide comparison of student

performance;

(5) be grade-level and developmentally appropriate

for the intended grade for which the instrument will be

administered;

(6) assess performance of students in foundational

numeracy skills components of the essential knowledge and skills

adopted under Section 28.002 for mathematics;

(7) be capable of monitoring student progress in a

manner that allows school district staff to identify foundational

numeracy skills in need of targeted instruction;

(8) assess whether a student's performance in

foundational numeracy skills indicates that the student is at risk,

as determined by the commissioner, of not achieving satisfactory

performance on the third grade mathematics assessment administered

under Section 39.023;

(9) allow a school to district to generate a report

regarding a student's mathematics progress that is in plain

language that may be distributed to the student's parent in

English, Spanish or, to the extent practicable, any other languages

spoken by the parent.

(c) The commissioner shall:

(1) update the list of mathematics instruments adopted

under Subsection (a) not less than once every four years;

(2) ensure the list of mathematics instruments adopted

under Subsection (a) includes multiple 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 commissioner may allow a school district to

substitute:

(1) an interim assessment instrument adopted or

developed under Section 39.023(o) for an instrument adopted under

this section; or

(2) a third grade assessment instrument adopted or

developed under Section 39.023 for an instrument adopted under

this section that is administered at the end of the school year

for a third grade student.

( e ) A school district shall administer a mathematics

instrument on the list adopted under Subsection (a) to each student

in kindergarten through third grade in accordance with requirements

established by the commissioner under this section.

(f) The superintendent of each school district shall:

(1) report to the commissioner and the board of

trustees of the district the results of a mathematics instrument

administered to students under this section; and

(2) not later than the 30th calendar day after the date

on which the results of a mathematics instrument are available,

report, in writing or electronically, to a student's parent or

guardian:

(A) the student's results on the instrument; and

(B) the report described by Subsection (b)(9).

(f) If a student's results on two consecutive mathematics

instruments administered under this section indicate that the

student is at risk, as determined by the commissioner, of not

achieving satisfactory performance in foundational numeracy, the

student's school district shall:

(1) develop and implement a mathematics improvement

plan for the student;

(2) communicate, in writing or electronically, the

student's improvement plan to the student's parent or guardian; and

(3) provide regular updates to the student and parents

on the progress made by the student until the student is no longer

determined to be at risk, as determined by the commissioner, of not

achieving satisfactory performance in foundational numeracy.

(g) A school district shall provide mathematics

intervention services to a student described by Subsection (f) in

accordance with the mathematics improvement plan developed for the

student under that subsection until the student demonstrates

proficiency in mathematics on a mathematics instrument

administered under this section or on an assessment instrument

administered under Section 39.023(a).

(h) 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

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.

(i) The commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to

implement this section.

(j) The agency may not use data collected from a mathematics

instrument administered under this section in evaluating the

performance of a school district or campus under Section 39.054.

SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2025-2026

school year.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.