Increase funding for districts with a high proportion of at-risk students and expand intervention programs for struggling early learners.
Austin, Texas — The Texas House of Representatives first approved a bill Tuesday that would help lawmakers improve early childhood education and literacy.
The bill is an effort to address what one state legislator described as a reading-level crisis.
According to a national assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), students’ scores for fourth and eighth graders have been worsening even before the Covid-19 pandemic.
In reading, 25% of Texas eighth graders scored above NAEP proficiency level in 2024, a slight increase from 23% in 2022. The percentage of Texas eighth grade students who performed above the base level in 2024 was slightly down from 66% in 2022.
In Texas, 43% of fourth graders scored above the level of NAEP proficiency in mathematics, up slightly from 38% in 2022. The percentage of Texas fourth-grade students who performed above the base level in 2024 was slightly higher than 78% in 2022.
In reading, 28% of Texas fourth graders scored above NAEP proficiency level. The percentage of Texas students who performed above the base level was 57% in 2024, a slight decline from 58% in 2022.
State Assemblyman Harold Dutton, author of the bill, said that if students don’t learn to read by third grade, there’s a greater than 80% chance that they won’t graduate from school.
“We don’t have options, but we sometimes do something about the number of kids who can’t read in third grade and fail to have mathematics abilities,” Dutton said.
Currently, Texas students are not evaluated for reading until they take the STAAR test in their third year. But Dutton said it was too late and he didn’t allow educators to help delayed students.
House Bill 123
Under House Bill 123, students will be given several 15-20 minute ratings between kindergarten and third grade. If two straight screening fails, they can be placed in a small group intervention or paid tutors from the state will be up to $800 per grade.
“We need to do something to triage these students.
Targeted small group intervention periods may occur during the day of specialized classes, breakout rooms, or after-school schools. Tutoring can occur after school, on weekends, or at home.
Parents can choose from a list of vendors created by the Texas Educational Institution (TEA). If parents do not choose a student’s tutor, the district will choose one for the student.
Several state lawmakers have expressed concern about offering more tests to younger students. Rep. is also considering House Bill 4 by state legislator Brad Buckley (R-Salado). Educators have long criticized the test, saying it has a flawed design that could lead to an unfair tea evaluation in the district.
The bill still requires an F rating system from school district A, but will stop tea committee members from giving districts “unrated” rankings.
The bill will also stop schools from being able to sue the state with these ratings, unless they have exhausted all the tea process to challenge the ratings. Since 2023, dozens of districts have been taking part in lawsuits against Tee over assessments of accountability. The case is still passing through the court system.
Testing Discussion
Dutton said there is a difference between testing and ratings.
“The assessment is done to see where you are and lets you see where you are at a certain level, whether you meet that level, and if we need to do any kind of intervention,” Dutton said. “There are no tests because tests are designed so that they must always pass or fail.”
State Senator Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) added an amendment that kindergarten, first and second grade ratings are not used in the accountability system, but are only used to diagnose where students are.
“I’m fine to be tested to assess where the kids are and understand how to give them the help they need,” Hinojosa said. “It’s not okay to use testing and ratings for high stakes accountability.”
Buckley, who chairs the House Public Education Committee, called the bill a “game changer for Texas students’ achievements.”
Other states use similar laws to help children get off track and slow their reading levels. In particular, Dutton said that he revolutionized the education system.
“We decided to do an assessment and support the kids as much as possible, and also to assess whether they have any medical care or whether they need vision screening, whether they have dyslexia or anything like that,” Dutton said. “States across the country are trying to do something about third-grade reading scores within their boundaries.”
Other regulations
HB 123 is increasing state funding for school districts with a higher percentage of at-risk students. This requires the creation of district-level literacy plans to support the struggles of young learners and ensure that districts follow state educational goals.
HB 123 also includes funding for K-To-3 teachers to participate in professional development for reading and mathematics teaching.
“For the first time, I’m paying those teachers to attend those academies,” Dutton said. “Infant childhood allocation allows up to $1,000 per person for both academies.”
Teachers will need to complete it in seven years, but this bill will change to eight years.
This introduces a parent support initiative to attract families of students who have failed to read and make them aware of their assessments and outcomes.
The lower room must vote for HB 123 one more time before going to the Senate for consideration.
