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Early Learning Assessment Requirements and Approved Instruments

Early Learning Assessments

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Early learning assessment requirements vary by grade level, assessment purpose, and school year. This page provides information about required assessments, administration schedules, and approved instruments for prekindergarten through grade 3.

Current requirements remain in effect during the 2026–27 school year. New statewide foundational literacy and numeracy requirements for kindergarten through grade 3 begin in the 2027–28 school year. Beginning in 2027–28, school systems must use instruments from the applicable commissioner-approved lists.

Know Which Requirements Apply

Current prekindergarten progress monitoring, kindergarten reading readiness, and K–1 dyslexia-screening requirements remain in effect for the 2026–27 school year. Beginning in 2027–28, new foundational literacy and numeracy instrument requirements apply to kindergarten through grade 3.

View 2026–27 Key Assessment Dates

Important (1)

Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments Extended through 2027–2028

The ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú (ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú) has extended the Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments through the 2027–28 school year. All publishers elected to continue on the list; therefore, all currently approved instruments will remain approved for use during the extension period.   

The approved instruments support educators in measuring key areas of prekindergarten development and monitoring student progress. School districts, open-enrollment charter schools, early childhood educators, and other stakeholders should use the extended list when planning for the 2027–28 school year.

Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring

To support high-quality, full-day prekindergarten for eligible 4-year-old students, school systems must collect student progress-monitoring data in five required domains.

  • School systems must collect progress-monitoring data in:

    • Health and wellness
    • Emergent literacy: language and communication
    • Emergent literacy: reading
    • Emergent literacy: writing
    • Mathematics

    Progress-monitoring data must be collected for all eligible 4-year-old prekindergarten students at:

    • Beginning of year (BOY)
    • Middle of year (MOY)
    • End of year (EOY)

    School systems must use an instrument from the Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments.

    Administration windows are determined locally. ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú recommends administering the beginning-of-year instrument within the first 60 days of school so the resulting data can be used for instructional purposes.

    School systems should have systems in place to collect and report progress-monitoring data for students who miss an administration or enroll after the designated window.

    Progress monitoring for eligible 3-year-old students is not required and may be conducted at the school system's discretion.

  • Raw beginning-of-year and end-of-year assessment data for all eligible 4-year-old prekindergarten students must be submitted to ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú through the Prekindergarten Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) Collection.

    As part of the required family engagement plan, school systems are encouraged to provide families with progress-monitoring updates addressing all five required domains at least three times each year.

    • Circle Progress Monitoring System by Children's Learning Institute
    • COR Advantage by HighScope Educational Research Foundation
    • CPALLS+STEM by Circle Progress Monitoring administered through TANGO Software
    • Frog Street Assessment – Criterion Referenced Assessment by Frog Street
    • GOLD® by Teaching Strategies, LLC
    • LION for Prekindergarten by Liberty Source 

    View the Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments 

Kindergarten Reading Readiness

School systems must administer a commissioner-approved kindergarten reading instrument to all kindergarten students at the beginning of the school year to measure foundational literacy skills in reading development and comprehension.

  • A kindergarten reading instrument must be administered to all kindergarten students no later than the 60th day of the school year using a commissioner-approved kindergarten reading readiness instrument.

    School systems should have procedures in place to collect and report data for students captured in Fall Snapshot who miss the instrument administration or enroll after the window. This data is crucial for ensuring TPEIR reports displaying kindergarten assessment results are accurate.

    Kindergarten students are also subject to universal dyslexia-screening requirements. See Universal Dyslexia Screening for Kindergarten and Grade 1.

    Important Call Out

    Kindergarten reading readiness and HB 2 foundational literacy are separate requirements.

    Beginning in 2027–28, the beginning-of-year kindergarten reading readiness requirement continues. Kindergarten foundational literacy and numeracy instruments are administered at middle and end of year.

  • For the 2026–27 school year, the commissioner-approved kindergarten reading instruments are:

    • Circle Kindergarten Progress Monitoring (formerly TX-KEA) by Children's Learning Institute
    • mCLASS Texas Edition by Amplify

  • School systems must provide kindergarten reading readiness results to a student's parent or guardian in writing or electronically no later than the earlier of:

    • The 20th school day after results are available; or
    • The 30th calendar day after results are available.

    School systems must make a good-faith effort to provide the report in a clear and easy-to-understand format and in English and the parent or guardian's native language.

  • Required kindergarten assessment data are reported through the Kindergarten Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) Collection. 

    View Assessment Data Reporting Requirements for more information

K–3 Foundational Literacy and Numeracy

Beginning in the 2027–28 school year, school systems must use commissioner-approved foundational literacy and numeracy instruments for students in kindergarten through grade 3 to meet the applicable HB 2 requirements.

  • The foundational literacy and numeracy instrument lists currently published by ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú are provisionally approved. School systems may use the lists to support implementation and procurement planning before statewide implementation begins.

  • Kindergarten

    Beginning in 2027–28, administer:

    • Foundational literacy: Middle of year and end of year
    • Foundational numeracy: Middle of year and end of year

    The separate beginning-of-year kindergarten reading readiness requirement continues. See Kindergarten Reading Readiness for more information.

    Grade 1

    Administer:

    • Foundational literacy: beginning, middle, and end of year
    • Foundational numeracy: beginning, middle, and end of year

    Grade 2

    Administer:

    • Foundational literacy: beginning, middle, and end of year
    • Foundational numeracy: beginning, middle, and end of year

    Grade 3

    • Foundational literacy: beginning and middle of year
    • Foundational numeracy: beginning and middle of year

  • Foundational literacy and numeracy results are subject to applicable state reporting requirements beginning with HB 2 implementation. School systems will be expected to submit foundational literacy and numeracy results after every applicable administration window.

    View Assessment Data Reporting Requirements for more information

  • ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú has published provisionally approved lists of K–3 foundational literacy and numeracy instruments. Current provisional approval does not represent endorsement of all services, products, claims, or offerings associated with an assessment provider.

    View Provisionally Approved Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Instruments for more information

    Dyslexia Screening

    Foundational literacy instruments approved for kindergarten and Grade 1 include the required dyslexia-screening elements. See Universal Dyslexia Screening for Kindergarten and Grade 1 for current and 2027–28 requirements.

    Understanding Provisional Approval

    Provisional approval provides school systems with information about available instrument options while ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú and instrument providers complete implementation activities.

    Instrument providers must continue to meet applicable requirements to maintain approval. Before selecting or administering an instrument, school systems should confirm that the instrument is approved for the applicable:

    • Grade level
    • Subject
    • Language

    Approval applies to the identified instrument and approved use. Inclusion on a ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú list does not represent endorsement of all products, services, claims, or other offerings associated with an instrument provider.

  • School systems should select instruments that meet applicable state requirements and support local implementation needs.

    Before Selecting an Instrument

    Consider:

    • Approval status: Confirm that the instrument appears on the applicable ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú-approved list.
    • Grade and subject: Confirm that the instrument is approved for the intended grade and foundational literacy or numeracy use.
    • Language: Confirm approval in the language in which the instrument will be administered.
    • Accessibility: Consider student accessibility needs and available supports.
    • Administration: Review the instrument's administration format and local implementation needs.
    • Technology: Consider applicable device, system, and technology requirements.
    • Data: Review how assessment data will be made available and any applicable data needs.
    • Training: Consider staff training and implementation needs.
    • Cost: Review applicable licensing, implementation, training, and other costs.

    Procurement Considerations

    ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú recognizes that school systems will need to make procurement decisions before all implementation activities have been completed. School systems are responsible for purchasing their selected instruments and should use available state or local funding sources, as allowable, to support implementation.

    The instruments included on the provisional approved lists are expected to remain available for use by school systems so long as vendors continue to satisfy applicable requirements and maintain their approval status. However, because provisional approval is contingent upon ongoing participation in ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú implementation activities, school systems should consider the possibility that an instrument's approval status could change if a vendor does not meet applicable requirements or if the instrument does not satisfy ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú's established expectations for comparability, alignment, or other program requirements.

    To help manage this risk, ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú recommends that school systems:

    • Avoid entering into agreements that extend beyond the 2028–29 school year.
    • Ensure procurement documents and agreements account for the possibility that an instrument's approval status may change during the implementation period.
    • Include provisions that permit the school system to discontinue use of, or terminate an agreement for, an instrument that is no longer included on an applicable ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú-approved list.

    School systems remain responsible for ensuring that any instrument used to meet TEC, §28.0063 requirements appear on the applicable ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú-approved list at the time of administration.
     

  • Under Texas law, Grade 3 students are subject to both the HB 2 foundational literacy and numeracy instrument requirements and the HB 8 SST requirements during BOY and MOY administration windows.

    To minimize duplicate testing, school systems administering SST during Grade 3 BOY and MOY windows may use that assessment to satisfy both HB 2 and HB 8 administration and reporting requirements.

    An alternative SST provider may satisfy HB 2 requirements only if it is also approved as a foundational literacy instrument and/or a foundational numeracy instrument. See the table below for a list of providers that have approved instruments that support both HB 8 and HB 2 administration requirements.

    School systems using an alternative SST provider that is not approved for foundational literacy and numeracy usage must administer separate approved foundational literacy and numeracy instruments and report those results to ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú.

    View House Bill 8: Student Assessment for more information

    The table below lists alternative BOY/MOY SST providers that offer instruments approved for HB 2 purposes. School systems should contact individual providers for information about options that may support both HB 8 and HB 2 administration requirements.

    Alternative RLA BOY/MOY SST Providers Approved for HB 2

    Alternative Math BOY/MOY SST Providers Approved for HB 2

    mCLASS and mCLASS Lectura
    Amplify Education, Inc.

    mCLASS Math
    Amplify Education, Inc.

    i-Ready Inform ​
    Curriculum Associates​

    i-Ready Inform ​
    Curriculum Associates​

    Star Literacy Suite
    Renaissance Learning, Inc.

    LION for Math
    Liberty Source, LLC.

     

    MAP Growth
    NWEA, a division of HMH Education Company

     

    Star Math and Star CBM Math
    Renaissance Learning, Inc.

     

Universal Dyslexia Screening for Kindergarten and Grade 1

Universal dyslexia screening is required for all kindergarten and Grade 1 students under Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003. Screening helps identify students who may be at risk for dyslexia or other reading difficulties and is not a formal evaluation for dyslexia. 

  • During the 2026–27 school year, school systems must continue to screen all kindergarten and Grade 1 students for dyslexia and related disorders.

    Kindergarten

    Kindergarten students must be screened by the end of the school year.

    Screening instruments in English and Spanish must include:

    • Letter sound knowledge or letter naming fluency
    • Phonological awareness

    Grade 1

    Grade 1 students must be screened as close to the middle of the school year as possible and no later than January 31. 

    Screening instruments in English and Spanish must include:

    • Word reading accuracy or fluency
    • Phonological awareness

    Kindergarten Reading Readiness Instruments

    Commissioner-approved kindergarten reading readiness instruments include aligned dyslexia-screening elements and meet the applicable screener requirements outlined in the Texas Dyslexia Handbook. School systems are not required to use a kindergarten reading readiness instrument to meet the dyslexia-screening requirement and should ensure that the screening instrument selected locally meets the applicable criteria.

    View the Texas Dyslexia Handbook

  • Beginning in the 2027–28 school year, dyslexia screening under TEC §38.003 aligns with the HB 2 foundational literacy administration schedule.

    All provisionally approved foundational literacy instruments available for kindergarten and Grade 1 include the required dyslexia-screening elements.

    Kindergarten

    Students must be screened for dyslexia at:

    • Middle of year
    • End of year

    Grade 1

    Students must be screened for dyslexia at:

    • Beginning of year
    • Middle of year
    • End of year

    School systems may plan to use a single approved foundational literacy instrument to meet both the foundational literacy and dyslexia-screening requirements when applicable.

    Foundational literacy instrument providers will submit data to ºÚÁÏÍø×îÐÂÈë¿Ú for dyslexia-screening purposes in addition to foundational literacy reporting.

    View Provisionally Approved Foundational Literacy Instruments

Related Webpages

  • Dyslexia

    This page includes resources to assist in identifying and providing services for students with dyslexia and related disorders in Texas schools.

  • House Bill 8: Student Assessment

    This page provides Student Assessment information relating to House Bill 8 and the transition to the Student Success Tool.

  • High-Quality Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring

    This page provides additional information about prekindergarten progress monitoring requirements for public prekindergarten programs serving eligible 4-year-old students.