Kindergarten Requirements

As defined in House Bill 3, districts and open-enrollment charters must conduct a beginning of year (BOY) reading screener using either TX-KEA or mCLASS Texas (both free of charge). This raw data is submitted to the Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) yearly. Diagnosing reading development and comprehension of kindergarten students is vital, in whatever form it may take. Support for remote screening options will be made available by both selected vendors. See information on our Data Tool Selection Guide webpage for more information.

Early Reading Indicator Code Guidance

The Early Reading Indicator (ERI) code helps districts determine whether a student is eligible for and will receive accelerated reading instruction to meet their literacy goals. These codes are submitted to PEIMS twice a year. The code description for the ERI data element states that the code should be “indicated by the administered reading instrument”. The LEA has the flexibility, if they so choose, to consider formative data collected by teachers in addition to the data from the administered reading instrument. This is due to the fact that young children are episodic learners, and the data they produce may vary across time, therefore, teachers may analyze multiple data points in order to inform each child’s ERI Code and take appropriate instructional action.

Dyslexia Screening Updates

LEAs are required, per Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003 to conduct universal dyslexia screening of students in kindergarten and first grade. Kindergarten students must be screened for dyslexia at the end of the school year, and first grade students must be screened no later than January 31st. The Dyslexia Handbook describes the screening criteria for this requirement. The updates to the Dyslexia Handbook include a reduction in the number of skills that must be included on the instrument used by LEAs to screen for dyslexia. The updated criteria for English and Spanish screening instruments are as follows:

Kindergarten

• Letter Sound Knowledge or Letter Naming Fluency
• Phonological Awareness

The current list of approved reading instruments that meet the requirement of TEC §28.006 (Early Reading Diagnosis) includes elements that meet the requirements for the dyslexia screening under TEC §38.003. These tools are available at no cost to LEAs. LEAs may wish to begin planning now to ensure that the dyslexia screening instruments they plan to administer will meet the above criteria. Again, choosing one of the free tools available to all LEAs will meet the requirements.

Statutory References

Tool Selection Guide
Kindergarten Assessment Requirements and Recommendations Calendar
PK4-2nd Grade Assessment Requirements Calendar
PK-2nd Grade Assessment Calendar Key Dates

1st Grade Requirements

Districts and open-enrollment charters must collect data regarding student reading proficiency using an approved tool (either from the Commissioner's List, which is currently defined as the options listed below, or selected by a district-level committee as per TEC 28.006 (b) ). Click on an option below for more information about the free options:

mCLASS Texas (remote administration is available and it aligns with all the elements of the dyslexia handbook)

TPRI/Tejas Lee (remote administration is available and all current versions (free and fee-based) of TPRI/Tejas Lee are considered part of the Commissioner's List and their selection does not require district-level committee approval)

FastBridge (Illuminate Education)

Early Reading Indicator Code Guidance

The Early Reading Indicator code (ERI) helps districts determine whether a student is eligible for and will receive accelerated reading instruction to meet their literacy goals. These codes are submitted to PEIMS twice a year. The code description for the ERI data element states that the code should be “indicated by the administered reading instrument”. The LEA has the flexibility, if they so choose, to consider formative data collected by teachers in addition to the data from the administered reading instrument. This is due to the fact that young children are episodic learners, and the data they produce may vary across time, therefore, teachers may analyze multiple data points in order to inform each child’s ERI Code and take appropriate instructional action.

Dyslexia Requirement

LEAs are required, per Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003 to conduct universal dyslexia screening of students in kindergarten and first grade. Kindergarten students must be screened for dyslexia at the end of the school year, and first grade students must be screened no later than January 31st. The Dyslexia Handbook describes the screening criteria for this requirement. The updates to the Dyslexia Handbook include a reduction in the number of skills that must be included on the instrument used by LEAs to screen for dyslexia. The updated criteria for English and Spanish screening instruments are as follows:

First Grade

• Word Reading Accuracy or Fluency
• Phonological Awareness

The current list of approved reading instruments that meet the requirement of TEC §28.006 (Early Reading Diagnosis) includes elements that meet the requirements for the dyslexia screening under TEC §38.003. These tools are available at no cost to LEAs. LEAs may wish to begin planning now to ensure that the dyslexia screening instruments they plan to administer will meet the above criteria. Again, choosing one of the free tools available to all LEAs will meet the requirements.

Tool Selection Guide
PK4-2nd Grade Assessment Requirements Calendar
PK-2nd Grade Assessment Calendar Key Dates

2nd Grade Requirements

Districts and open-enrollment charters must collect data regarding student reading proficiency using an approved tool (either from the Commissioner's List, which is currently defined as the options listed below, or selected by a district-level committee as per TEC 28.006 (b) ). Click on an option below for more information about the free options:

mCLASS Texas (remote administration is available and it aligns with all the elements of the dyslexia handbook)

TPRI/Tejas Lee (remote administration is available and all current versions (free and fee-based) of TPRI/Tejas Lee are considered part of the Commissioner's List and their selection does not require district-level committee approval)

FastBridge (Illuminate Education)

Early Reading Indicator Code Guidance

The Early Reading Indicator code (ERI) helps districts determine whether a student is eligible for and will receive accelerated reading instruction to meet their literacy goals. These codes are submitted to PEIMS twice a year. The code description for the ERI data element states that the code should be “indicated by the administered reading instrument”. The LEA has the flexibility, if they so choose, to consider formative data collected by teachers in addition to the data from the administered reading instrument. This is due to the fact that young children are episodic learners, and the data they produce may vary across time, therefore, teachers may analyze multiple data points in order to inform each child’s ERI Code and take appropriate instructional action.

Dyslexia Screening

While not required, dyslexia screening may be used if deemed necessary to support diagnosis of reading difficulty in second grade students. Should a dyslexia screening be administered, LEAs must follow the Dyslexia Handbook guidance and report the dyslexia code to PEIMS.

Tool Selection Guide
PK4-2nd Grade Assessment Requirements Calendar
PK-2nd Grade Assessment Calendar Key Dates

In accordance with the Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.006(c-1), each school district and open-enrollment charter school is required to administer at the beginning of Grade 7 a reading instrument adopted by the commissioner to each student whose performance on the assessment instrument in reading administered under TEC §39.023(a), to the student in Grade 6 who did not demonstrate reading proficiency, as determined by the commissioner. The district shall administer the reading instrument in accordance with the commissioner's recommendations under the TEC §28.006(a)(1).

In November 2022, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) notified publishers that reading diagnostic instruments for students in Grade 7 TEC §28.006(c-1), could be submitted for review for inclusion on the 2023-2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Grade 7 Reading Instruments. The TEA staff completed their review in July 2023.

Information about the TEA Criteria for Evaluation of Reading Instruments can be found in the Texas Register: Request for Student Reading Instrument Grade 7 Notice.

Per Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §101.6001, school districts must administer during the first six weeks of the school year.

2023–2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Grade 7 Reading Instruments