Texas would overhaul how public schools are graded and which agency decisions can be challenged

Public school districts across Texas would be measured against a rebuilt accountability system under a far-reaching education bill the state Senate passed during the first called special session. The bill (SB 8) replaces the current STAAR-anchored testing regime with what its sponsor calls an instructionally supportive assessment program, redefines the achievement indicators that drive A-through-F campus ratings, and reshapes the interventions and sanctions the state can impose on low-performing schools.

The legislation also creates a grant program funding district-designed local accountability plans and changes the procedures districts must follow when challenging Texas Education Agency rating decisions in court. Sen. Bettencourt filed the bill, which became a vehicle for resolving the multiyear litigation over STAAR ratings that has kept official scores in legal limbo.

The Senate passed SB 8 on August 11 and sent it to the House, where lawmakers continued debate over the assessment-redesign timeline and the scope of district appeal rights.