Texas House Bill HB 5353

Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

• Filed: 3/14/25

Caption

Relating to the administration of certain assessment instruments and the accountability rating system for assessing campus and district performance.

Summary

HB 5353 revises Texas public school testing and accountability rules. The bill narrows the state assessment framework by tying certain testing requirements more closely to the minimum requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), authorizing the State Board of Education and commissioner to reduce the number or frequency of assessments if federal law changes, and allowing Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessments or other nationally norm-referenced tests to serve certain high school testing purposes if needed. It also changes graduation-related testing rules so students in the foundation high school program must demonstrate college, career, or military readiness, and it preserves exemptions for some students who meet college-readiness benchmarks through college preparatory courses.

Impact

The bill would amend multiple provisions of the Education Code governing student assessments, graduation requirements, and the state accountability system. It would replace or limit some existing end-of-course testing language, repeal one assessment-related subsection, and require the commissioner to use the 2022 Accountability Manual’s cut points and scoring rules for the 2022-2023 through 2024-2025 school years. It also adds new limits on how accountability indicators are used, requires validity and reliability review before indicators affect ratings, changes the timing of when accountability rules must be issued, and adjusts distinction designations for campus performance in reading, mathematics, and science. The bill applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, with a temporary accountability provision expiring in 2026.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill is aimed at simplifying and stabilizing the testing and accountability system, with an emphasis on reducing unnecessary testing and making rating calculations more predictable. Because there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided material, there is no direct evidence of formal support or opposition in the record here. The bill’s structure, however, indicates a reform-oriented approach that likely appeals to those seeking less testing burden and more transparent accountability rules.

Contention

The main points of potential contention are the reduction and restructuring of state assessments, the use of TSI or nationally norm-referenced tests in place of some existing state exams, and the temporary requirement to use older accountability scoring rules. Education accountability stakeholders may disagree over whether the bill meaningfully reduces testing pressure or simply shifts the system to different measures. Another likely area of debate is the bill’s changes to campus rating calculations, including the requirement that indicators be validated through peer review and the limits on how much certain indicators can count toward elementary and middle school scores.