Amend HB 8 (house committee report) as follows:
(1) On page 4, between lines 18 and 19, insert the following:
(f) The instructionally supportive assessment program may be referred to as the Student Success Tool.
(2) On page 5, line 18, between "the" and "status", insert "plan for and".
(3) On page 5, line 20, immediately following the underlined period, insert "The report must include parent, student, and teacher feedback regarding the development of the program.".
(4) On page 6, line 20, between "(a-3)," and "(c)", insert "(b),".
(5) On page 6, line 21, strike "Subsection (q)" and substitute "Subsections (q), (q-1), and (q-2)".
(6) On page 7, between lines 17 and 18, insert the following:
(b) The agency shall develop or adopt appropriate criterion-referenced alternative assessment instruments to be administered to each student in a special education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, who has been identified as having a significant cognitive disability and for whom an end-of-year assessment instrument adopted or developed under Subsection (a) or an end-of-course assessment instrument adopted or developed under Subsection (c), even with allowable accommodations, would not provide an appropriate measure of student achievement, as determined by agency guidelines and the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee[, including assessment instruments approved by the commissioner that measure growth. The assessment instruments developed or adopted under this subsection, including the assessment instruments approved by the commissioner, must, to the extent allowed under federal law, provide a district with options for the assessment of students under this subsection]. The agency may not adopt a performance standard that indicates that a student's performance on the alternate assessment does not meet standards if the lowest level of the assessment accurately represents the student's developmental level as determined by the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee. A student determined to be eligible to be administered an alternative assessment instrument under this subsection is exempt from the administration of a beginning-of-year or middle-of-year assessment instrument adopted or developed under Subsection (a) or (c).
(7) On page 10, between lines 8 and 9, insert the following:
(q-1) The agency may approve for inclusion on the list under Subsection (q) any assessment instrument that has shared data sufficient to establish an accurate calculation to measure student through-year instructional growth and improvement for purposes of Section 39.053(c-5).
(q-2) For the 2027-2028 or 2028-2029 school year, the agency may provide provisional approval for use as an alternative beginning-of-year or middle-of-year assessment instrument under Subsection (q) an alternative norm-referenced assessment instrument that does not meet the requirements of this subchapter if the administrator of the assessment instrument provides to the agency an acceptable plan for bringing the assessment instrument into compliance with the requirements of this subchapter. This subsection expires September 1, 2029.
(8) On page 11, line 26, between the underlined period and "For", insert the following:
In selecting teachers to invite, the agency shall accept and prioritize nominations of qualifying teachers by regional education service centers.
(9) On page 12, between lines 23 and 24, insert the following:
(d-1) The agency shall automatically rescore the writing portion of a reading language arts assessment instrument administered to a student under Section 39.023 if the agency determines the student would attain the next highest overall performance level on the assessment instrument if the student's score on the writing portion improved by one point.
(10) On page 14, line 14, strike "in" and substitute "that includes at least".
(11) On page 15, line 21, strike "The" and substitute "Subject to Subsection (d-1), the".
(12) On page 16, between lines 2 and 3, insert the following:
(l-1) For assessment instruments administered under Section 39.023 that do not require adjudication or post-equating, the agency shall notify school districts and campuses of an enrolled student's raw scores on the assessment instrument not later than two business days after the date on which the student completes the assessment instrument.
(13) On page 16, lines 21 and 22, strike "Section 39.0263, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (c-1)" and substitute "Sections 39.0263(a) and (b), Education Code, are amended".
(14) Strike page 17, lines 19 through 24.
(15) On page 18, line 12, between "29" and the period, insert "or this chapter".
(16) On page 19, between lines 22 and 23, insert the following appropriately numbered subdivision and renumber subsequent subdivisions of the section accordingly:
(____) Sections 39.025(a-1) and (a-3);
(17) On page 19, line 21, between "(a-16)," and "(c-1)", insert "(b-1),".
(18) On page 19, line 22, between "(g)," and "(o)", insert "(n),".
(19) On page 20, line 19, between "(c-6)," and "(f-1)", insert "(c-7), (c-8),".
(20) On page 25, strike lines 7 through 17, and substitute the following:
(c-6) Notwithstanding Subsections (f-1) and (f-3), the commissioner shall incorporate into the indicators adopted under this subchapter the measure developed under Subsection (c-5) not later than the 2029-2030 school year. This subsection expires September 1, 2031.
(c-7) For purposes of Subsection (c)(3), the agency shall use appropriate alternative prior-year data to evaluate the performance under that subsection of a newly established campus that lacks the prior-year data necessary to complete a portion of the calculation methodology that relies on prior-year campus data.
(c-8) For purposes of evaluating school districts and campuses based on a college, career, and military readiness indicator adopted under Subsection (c) that requires the use of prior-year information, the agency shall ensure that a school district may submit additional prior-year information relating to the indicator during the specified time period during which the district may submit additional current-year information for that indicator.
(21) On page 27, line 23, strike "and 39.0534" and substitute "39.0534, and 39.0535".
(22) On page 28, line 15, strike "and".
(23) On page 28, line 19, between "competencies" and the underlined period, insert the following:
; and
(4) for a postsecondary credential, be a credential of value, as designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for purposes of Section 130A.101(c)(1)
(24) On page 28, line 24, strike "that subsection" and substitute "Subsections (a) and (b)".
(25) On page 32, between lines 2 and 3, insert the following:
Sec. 39.0535. PERFORMANCE INDICATORS STUDY. (a) The commissioner shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with an institute of higher education to conduct a study regarding methods to diversify the performance standards required for domains and indicators of achievement adopted under this subchapter, such as the potential impact of developing indicators that account for educator quality, advanced academic coursework, student engagement, workforce development, parental engagement, and school climate.
(b) Not later than December 1, 2028, the commissioner shall submit to the legislature and the chairs of the standing legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over primary and secondary education a report that includes the results of the study conducted under Subsection (a).
(c) This section expires December 31, 2028.
(26) On page 39, line 25, strike "Section 312.003(a)" and substitute "Sections 312.003(a) and (c)".
(27) On page 39, line 27, strike "is" and substitute "are".
(28) On page 40, between lines 10 and 11, insert the following:
(c) In developing the inventory, the advisory council shall [may] consult with local workforce boards, the Texas Workforce Investment Council, the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, the Texas Education Agency, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
(29) On page 41, line 8, strike "six" and substitute "nine".
(30) On page 60, line 10, between "39.02342," and "39.0263", insert "39.025(a-2),".
(31) On page 60, line 13, between "33.0812," and "39.026", insert "39.025(a-1) and (a-3),".
(32) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to ARTICLE 1 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 1 accordingly:
SECTION 1.____. Section 39.025(a-2), Education Code, as amended by SB 1418, Acts of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, is amended to read as follows:
(a-2) The commissioner shall determine a method by which a student's satisfactory performance on an advanced placement test, an international baccalaureate examination, the SAT, the ACT, an assessment instrument designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board under Section 51.334, or any nationally recognized norm-referenced assessment instrument used by institutions of higher education to award course credit based on satisfactory performance on the assessment instrument shall be used to satisfy the requirements concerning an end-of-course assessment instrument in an equivalent course as prescribed by Subsection (a). A student may take a test or other assessment instrument authorized under this subsection in lieu of the appropriate end-of-course assessment instrument. The commissioner shall determine a method by which a student's satisfactory performance on the PSAT or the PreACT shall be used to satisfy the requirements concerning an end-of-course assessment instrument in an equivalent course as prescribed by Subsection (a). A student who fails to perform satisfactorily on a test or other assessment instrument authorized under this subsection, other than the PSAT or the PreACT, may retake that test or other assessment instrument for purposes of this subsection or may take the appropriate end-of-course assessment instrument. A student who fails to perform satisfactorily on the PSAT or the PreACT must take the appropriate end-of-course assessment instrument. The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary for the administration of this subsection.
(33) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to ARTICLE 2 of the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of ARTICLE 2 accordingly:
SECTION 2.____. Subchapter C, Chapter 39, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 39.0511 to read as follows:
Sec. 39.0511. WAIVER REQUEST FOR CERTAIN FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY-RELATED REQUIREMENTS. (a) This section applies to a school district campus in which at least 90 percent of the students have been identified as having a significant cognitive disability and receive special education services under Subchapter A, Chapter 29.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2026, the commissioner shall apply to the United States Department of Education for a waiver of requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.) related to the rate of participation in the assessment program and high school graduation rates for each school district campus to which this section applies.
(c) This section expires September 1, 2027.
SECTION 2.____. Section 2308A.007, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 2308A.007. CREDENTIAL LIBRARY. (a) The coordinating board and the commission jointly shall [may] establish a publicly accessible web-based library of credentials, such as diplomas, certificates, certifications, digital badges, apprenticeships, licenses, or degrees, that are:
(1) delivered, issued, funded, or governed by the state;
(2) aligned with recognized skills and industry standards;
(3) available to residents of the state; and
(4) used by employers in the state.
(a-1) The [A] credential library established under this section must:
(1) include:
(A) the information included in the electronic tools or platforms developed by the coordinating board under Section 61.09022(a), Education Code; and
(B) the list of industry certifications developed under Section 39.0531, Education Code; and
(2) ensure data interoperability between relevant state agencies.
(b) The coordinating board and the commission jointly shall [may] designate a host agency to contract with an experienced and recognized third-party vendor [or operating entity] for the [a] credential library established under this section.
(c) In establishing the [a] credential library under this section, the coordinating board and the commission shall solicit input from the agency and relevant stakeholders.