BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1418

By: Campbell

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In 2014, ACT, Inc. discontinued offering its ACT-Plan test and, in 2016, replaced it with the PreACT test. Texas statute, however, still refers to the ACT-Plan test under provisions relating to standardized testing and academic distinction designations for districts and campuses. The bill sponsor informed the committee that state law should be updated to ensure that students who take and pass the PreACT receive a satisfactory end-of-course assessment, districts can administer the appropriate number of benchmark tests, and districts and campuses can receive academic distinction designations. S.B. 1418 seeks to address this issue and ensure clarity in the use of standardized tests under state law by replacing references to the ACT-Plan with references to the PreACT.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1418 amends the Education Code to replace references to "ACT-Plan" with references to "PreACT" in statutory provisions relating to certain tests administered to public school students and to academic distinction designations for public school districts and campuses. The bill removes an outdated reference to the SAT Subject Tests from the requirement for the commissioner of education to determine a method by which a student's satisfactory performance on such a test must be used to satisfy certain assessment requirements.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.