HB 4, a major overhaul of state testing, has passed the House. Will the Senate take it up?
Date Posted: 5/15/2025 | Author: Tricia Cave
On Tuesday, the Texas House passed House Bill (HB) 4, a major testing and accountability reform bill by Chairman Brad Buckley (R–Salado). As filed, ATPE found the bill’s provisions problematic, but we supported the bill after a major redraft in committee.
HB 4 would transition from STAAR to a nationally norm-referenced test, creating three short, online through-year tests meant to more accurately measure student growth instead of a student’s performance on one test on one single day. Teachers would receive feedback within 24 hours to help inform their instruction. For more on the differences between STAAR and HB 4, please see our previous reporting.
Lawmakers adopted seven amendments to HB 4 on the House floor. The amendments:
- Require the agency to make results available to parents in no more than one-click from the main reporting site.
- Allow school districts to use an optional writing assessment portfolio for assessing student writing.
- Allow districts with schools with 90% or more students in special education to apply for federal testing and accountability waivers.
- Require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to work with the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to develop a list of industry-based certifications that can be used for workforce readiness reporting requirements.
- Allow a two-year grace period for campus turnaround plans for campuses that would have been subject to potential commissioner action for their accountability ratings in the 2024-25 school year.
What now?
The bill has now moved to the Senate, where it has already been referred to the Senate Education K-16 Committee. The Senate did not have any similar testing reform bills this session, so it is not known what appetite the Senate has for a bill like this. The Senate has just under two weeks to before its May 28 deadline to hear all bills. This means they will need to work quickly if they wish to get HB 4 passed. ATPE encourages educators to use this Advocacy Central campaign to contact their state senator and urge them to push for action on HB 4.
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As a 41 year educator, I have always said it never made sense to test a child on how they performed on a test that was given one time a year or the time of year it was given. I watched my students grow and become more confident and proud of themself as we worked together to strengthen their skills. Testing throughout the school year and being able to use that data to find ways to help our students is vital to successful learning. Easy access to the student’s results is a strong plus for the parents and students. It could help the parents have in-depth discussions with their child and possibly strengthen their bond.