House Bill 3 (HB 3) Implementation: K-2 Diagnostics

House Bill (HB) 3 was passed by the 86th Texas Legislature, 2019, and signed into law by Governor Abbott on June 11, 2019. Several provisions in HB 3 impact school districts and open-enrollment charter schools (districts and charter schools) serving prekindergarten through third grade students, including provisions related to kindergarten through grade 2 diagnostics. Today, the Texas Education Agency (TEA or agency) released an HB 3 in 30 K-2 Diagnostics video, along with a PowerPoint document and related materials, focusing on the topics below:

• School Finance Commission findings
• HB 3 changes 
• Kindergarten 
  • Effective kindergarten
  • Current landscape of kindergarten diagnostic tools
  • New kindergarten readiness diagnostic
  • TX-KEA components 
  • TX-KEA data and reports 
  • Planning an implementation 
• First and second grade
• Dyslexia screeners 
• Professional development 
• Next steps 

Overview of Changes to K-2 Diagnostics 
The changes to kindergarten through grade 2 diagnostics include requiring the commissioner to adopt by rule a single kindergarten instrument that addresses the three developmental domains, including reading. The commissioner must determine the performance of the reading instrument adopted, and results of the reading instrument must be reported by districts and charter schools to parents in writing no later than the 60th calendar after the administration of the instrument. The commissioner must further ensure that a kindergarten through grade 2 reading instrument is made available to districts at no cost.

Kindergarten
LEA’s must use TX-KEA or the commissioner-approved alternative diagnostic tool. The agency will release a letter of interest (LOI) to kindergarten reading diagnostic vendors to determine the alternative tool. The tool must be: 1) multidimensional and include emergent literacy reading and writing, as well as language; 2) online and available in English and Spanish; and 3) provide reports to teachers and administrators and have capacity to meet TEA-compliant data reporting requirements listed in the TEDS Data Standards. 

Grades 1 and 2
Districts and charter schools have the option to choose from TPRI and Tejas LEE for grades 1 and 2, which will be available at no cost on the CLI Engage platform. Districts and charter schools that opt for an alternative diagnostic must ensure that it meets the criteria for reading diagnosis in TEC, §28.006. Districts and charter schools may reference the Grades 1 and 2 rubrics to ensure that a vendor meets the criteria. 

Questions
If you have any questions related to this letter regarding K-2 diagnostics under HB 3, please contact the Division of Early Childhood by email at earlychildhoodeducation@tea.texas.gov  or email HB3info@tea.texas.gov. We will be compiling answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the https://tea.texas.gov/hb3 webpage as well as TEA’s Early Childhood Education webpage. 

Attachments 
Multidimensional Kindergarten Rubric 
Grade 1 Rubric
Grade 2 Rubric

Sincerely,

Jacquie Porter,
State Director of Early Childhood Education