Amend HB 8 (senate committee report) as follows:
(1) In SECTION 1.004 of the bill, strike amended Section 39.023(a), Education Code, and substitute the following:
(a) In creating and implementing the instructionally supportive assessment program under Section 39.022, the [The] agency shall adopt or develop appropriate beginning-of-year, middle-of-year, and end-of-year [criterion-referenced] assessment instruments designed to assess essential knowledge and skills in reading language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Except as provided by Subsection (a-2), all students, other than students assessed under Subsection (b) or (l) or exempted under Section 39.027, shall be assessed in:
(1) mathematics, annually in grades three through eight;
(2) reading language arts, annually in grades three through eight;
(3) social studies, in grade eight;
(4) science, in grades five and eight; and
(5) any other subject and grade required by federal law.
(2) In SECTION 1.004 of the bill, strike amended Section 39.023(c), Education Code, and substitute the following:
(c) The agency shall also adopt or develop end-of-course assessment instruments for secondary-level courses in Algebra I, biology, English I, [English II,] and United States history and provide for the availability of optional beginning-of-year and middle-of-year assessment instruments for those courses. The Algebra I end-of-course assessment instrument must be administered with the aid of technology, but may include one or more parts that prohibit the use of technology. The English I [and English II] end-of-course assessment instrument [instruments] must [each] assess essential knowledge and skills in both reading and writing and must provide a single score. [A school district shall comply with State Board of Education rules regarding administration of the assessment instruments listed in this subsection. If a student is in a special education program under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, the student's admission, review, and dismissal committee shall determine whether any allowable modification is necessary in administering to the student an assessment instrument required under this subsection. The State Board of Education shall administer the assessment instruments. An end-of-course assessment instrument may be administered in multiple parts over more than one day. The State Board of Education shall adopt a schedule for the administration of end-of-course assessment instruments that complies with the requirements of Subsection (c-3).]
(3) In SECTION 1.005 of the bill, in added Section 39.02301(d)(3)(B), Education Code, strike "under Subsection (d-1)".
(4) In SECTION 1.005 of the bill, in added Section 39.02301(d-1), Education Code:
(A) Between "rescore" and "the writing", insert ", at no cost to a school district or open-enrollment charter school,".
(B) Between "determines" and "the student's", insert "the student would attain the next highest overall performance level on the assessment instrument if".
(5) In SECTION 1.005 of the bill, immediately following added Section 39.02301(d-1), Education Code, insert the following:
(d-2) For a student response submitted for rescoring under Subsection (d)(3)(B), the agency shall pay the costs associated with rescoring if the rescoring results in an increase in the student's score.
(6) In SECTION 1.006 of the bill, in amended Section 39.025(a-2), Education Code, strike "A student may take" and substitute "To the extent authorized by federal law, a student may take".
(7) In SECTION 2.003 of the bill, strike added Section 39.053(c-6), Education Code, and substitute the following:
(c-6) Notwithstanding Subsections (f-1) and (f-3), not later than the 2029-2030 school year, the commissioner shall present the measure described by Subsection (c-5) to the accountability advisory committee established under Section 39.0534 to consider the incorporation of the measure into the indicators described by Subsection (c)(2)(A) and in any other domain or indicator the commissioner considers relevant. Not later than March 15, 2029, the agency shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the chairs of the standing legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over public school accountability a report regarding the measure described by Subsection (c-5). This subsection expires September 1, 2030.
(8) In SECTION 2.004 of the bill, immediately following added Section 39.0531(a), Education Code, insert the following:
(a-1) For purposes of Subsection (a), the agency's provision of a proposed list or a modified proposed list of industry certifications to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission satisfies the requirement under that subsection to jointly develop a list of industry certifications, unless the board or commission submits to the agency revisions to the proposed list or modified proposed list on or before the 90th day after the date the agency provides the proposed list or modified proposed list to the board or commission.
(9) In SECTION 2.004 of the bill, in added Section 39.0535(a), Education Code:
(A) Strike "educator quality,".
(B) Strike "parental engagement, and school climate" and substitute "and parental engagement".
(10) In SECTION 4.005 of the bill, in amended Section 28.0211(a-8), Education Code, strike "Algebra I, English I, or English II," and substitute "Algebra I or[,] English I, [or English II,]".