LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
FISCAL NOTE, 87TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 12, 2021

TO:
Honorable Harold V. Dutton, Jr., Chair, House Committee on Public Education
 
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB2800 by Dean (Relating to the limitation on administration and use of certain assessment instruments in public schools.), As Introduced


Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for HB2800, As Introduced : a positive impact of $11,180,000 through the biennium ending August 31, 2023.

General Revenue-Related Funds, Five- Year Impact:

Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) Impact to
General Revenue Related Funds
2022$5,590,000
2023$5,590,000
2024$5,590,000
2025$5,590,000
2026$5,590,000

All Funds, Five-Year Impact:

Fiscal Year Probable Savings/(Cost) from
General Revenue Fund
1
2022$5,590,000
2023$5,590,000
2024$5,590,000
2025$5,590,000
2026$5,590,000


Fiscal Analysis

The bill's provisions would reduce the number of assessments required by eliminating the writing test in grades 4 and 7 before its expiration in September 2021, and also eliminating the grade 8 social studies, English I, and U. S. History tests. The scheduled adoption and administration of postsecondary readiness assessment instruments in Algebra II and English III would be repealed.

Methodology

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) estimates the annual cost savings to the state if the development, administration, scoring and reporting of the grade 8 social studies assessment were eliminated to be $400,000; the United States History end-of-course assessment $590,000; and the the English I end-of-course assessment $4.2 million.  These savings are based on the per assessment costs of the current state assessment contract.

TEA estimates the repeal of the Algebra II and English III assessments would result in a savings for the state as it would no longer bear the costs of developing, administering, scoring, and reporting the results of those assessments. The estimated savings of eliminating the Algebra II assessments would be $100,000 per fiscal year, and the estimated savings for English III would be $300,000 per fiscal year.

Total annual savings to the state would be $5,590,000 ($400,000 + $590,000 + $4,200,000 + $100,000 + $300,000).


Local Government Impact

Districts would potentially save time and resources as a result of fewer required annual assessments.


Source Agencies:
701 Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:
JMc, SL, AH