Across the Lawn – July 18, 2025

One Thing to Do: Get caught up on what happened in the 89th Legislative Session

Before the Special Session starts on Monday, July 21, take a listen to the latest episode of our Intersect Ed podcast, “Recap of the 89th Texas Legislative Session: A Historic Session for Public Education,” to hear about key legislative moments during the regular session.

Jaden Edison, public education reporter with The Texas Tribune, Scott Braddock, editor at Quorum Report.com, Edward McKinley, former Austin Bureau reporter for the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News, Bob Popinski, senior director of Policy at Raise Your Hand Texas served as panelists alongside Host Morgan Smith. The episode includes  Session highlights, including the $8.5 billion package in school funding and teacher raises from House Bill 2 (HB 2), the passage of Senate Bill 2 (SB 2) and Texas’ new voucher program, as well as what took place with House Bill 4 (HB 4), the bill aimed at reforming our assessment and accountability system and eliminating the STAAR test.

1. Special Session Begins Monday, July 21

Governor Greg Abbott has called lawmakers back to Austin for a Special Session beginning Monday, July 21, at noon, citing the need for additional legislative action following the 89th Session and support to address the devastating July floods in the Texas Hill Country. 

The Governor’s proclamation outlines 18 priority items, including:

• Eliminating the STAAR test and replacing it with more effective student progress measures
• Cutting property taxes and imposing stricter local spending limits
• Flood disaster response and early warning system upgrades
• Regulating hemp-derived THC products and restricting youth access
• Protecting women’s privacy, human trafficking victims, and law enforcement personnel’s records
• Revising redistricting maps, strengthening anti-deed fraud laws, and proposing new election prosecution powers for the Attorney General

View the full proclamation here. 

Raise Your Hand Texas will continue our weekly updates on all policy issues related to our public schools during this Special Session.

2. Special Session Preview on STAAR Testing and School Accountability

Governor Abbott’s item on legislation to “eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with effective tools to assess student progress and ensure school district accountability” will allow the Legislature to continue the unfinished conversation on assessment and accountability from the 89th Session.  

During the 140-day regular Session, House Bill 4 (HB 4) proposed major changes to the state assessment and accountability system. As lawmakers debated the future of state testing, key differences emerged between the House and Senate versions of HB 4, particularly around how the test is developed and whether it is a nationally normed-referenced test or a criterion-referenced test. 

• The House version called for nationally norm-referenced assessments to begin next school year in reading, math, and science, at the beginning, middle, and end of the year (BOY/MOY/EOY). These tests would be aligned to TEKS and designed to measure both proficiency and academic growth, giving teachers timely data to guide instruction.

In addition, the final House version of HB 4, adopted 143-1, also proposed:

• Reducing state testing to the federally required tests
• Including Student Engagement and Workforce Readiness (SEWD) indicators, such as extracurricular participation, full-day pre-K, and teacher academy completion, as part of school ratings.
• Legislative approval for major changes to accountability indicators or ratings
  
• The Senate version required the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to develop or adopt new assessments by the 2027–28 school year. Districts could use optional BOY/MOY tests, but the end-of-year test would remain state-designed and not nationally-normed. 

In addition, the Senate version of HB 4, adopted 23-8, also proposed:

• Allowing the Commissioner of the TEA to adopt accountability indicators and standards at any time before issuing ratings.
• Authorizing the Commissioner to exclude any indicator if the Commissioner deems it to be invalid or unreliable.

Based on reporting, the Conference Committee Report, which did not pass, had the following provisions: 

• Required districts to use a TEA-approved list of vendors for BOY/MOY assessments, while the EOY test would still be TEA-controlled and not nationally normed.
• Allowed Student Engagement, Well-Rounded Education, and Digital Learning (SEWD) indicators to be reported but not used in A–F ratings.
• Required notification, but not legislative approval, for accountability changes.

As the Special Session begins, these earlier proposals will serve as a reference point for new legislation aimed at overhauling the state assessment system.

3. Federal Education Funds Under Review, Freezing $730 Million Meant for Texas Schools

The U.S. Department of Education has announced that funding for several key federal programs is currently under review, with no timeline or guarantee for release. The impacted programs include:

• Title I, Part C – Migrant Education,
• Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction,
• Title III, Part A – English Language Acquisition,
• Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment, and
• Title IV, Part B – 21st Century Community Learning Centers.

These programs account for nearly $730 million in federal funding for the state of Texas. Other programs, such as Title I, Part A, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), are not currently affected.The Texas Education Agency is advising districts to review staffing, contracts, and procurement plans in case these funds are unavailable for an extended period.

4. Texas Education Agency Posts Timeline for Implementation of Bills Passed During 89th Session

The Texas Legislature not only passed an $8.5 billion school funding bill, HB 2 also aimed to address long-standing challenges in public education. At the same time, over a hundred other bills impacting public education may also need review and rulemaking in the coming months.The Texas Education Agency’s timeline for implementing new legislation passed during the 89th Regular Session is available here.