Required Implementation of PK–2 Instruments and Dyslexia Screening for the 2025–2026 School Year and Updates Relating to Grade 7 Reading Diagnostic Administration

This correspondence outlines early childhood instrument administration requirements for all Texas school districts and open-enrollment charter schools (school systems) in the 2025-2026 school year and updates relating implementation of changes resulting from House Bill (HB) 2, 89th Texas Legislature, Regular Session. 

Changes for 2025-2026 school year 

 Discontinuation of Early Reading Indicator (ERI) Data Element Collection 

Effective immediately, the Early Reading Indicator Data Element will no longer be collected through PEIMS. This change is a result of the repeal of the statutory requirement that was the basis for the data collection. 

Repeal of Requirement for Grade 7 Reading Diagnostic Instruments 

House Bill 2, Article 5, Section 5.29, repealed, with an immediate effective date, the requirement that school systems administer a grade 7 reading instrument at the beginning of the school year to students who did not demonstrate reading proficiency in grade 6. 

Additional Information Related to HB 2, Article V 

HB 2, Article 5 requires the commissioner to adopt lists of reading and mathematics instruments for districts to use at beginning of year (BOY), middle of year (MOY), and end of year (EOY) in kindergarten-grade 3 to measure foundational literacy and numeracy skills. HB 2 permits a school district to comply with the requirements to administer these instruments by administering a reading or mathematics instrument selected by the board of trustees of the school district that meets statutory requirements until the commissioner adopts the list of reading and mathematics instruments. 

Note: The information below reflects current instrument administration requirements for the 2025–2026 school year. School systems should continue to follow the requirements outlined in this correspondence for the 2025–2026 school year. 

Additional guidance regarding the future implementation of reading and math instruments as required by HB 2, Article V will be communicated at a later date. 

Implementation of PK-2 Instruments and Dyslexia Screening for the 2025-2026 school year 

Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instrument Administration Requirements 

To support the delivery of high-quality, full-day prekindergarten for eligible 4-year-old students, school systems must collect student progress monitoring data in the following five required domains: 

• Health and wellness 

• Emergent literacy – language and communication 

• Emergent literacy – reading 

• Emergent literacy – writing 

• Mathematics 

Data must be collected at the beginning-of-year (BOY), middle-of-year (MOY), and end-of-year (EOY) using an instrument from the Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments (19 Texas Administrative Code §102.1003(c)(1)). 

Administration and Parental Notification Guidance: 

• The instrument administration windows are determined locally. It is recommended that the BOY instruments be administered within the first 60 days of school so that the resulting data can be used for instructional purposes.  

• School systems should ensure they have systems in place to collect and report student progress monitoring data for students who may have missed the administration or enrolled after the designated window. This data is crucial for ensuring Texas Public Education Information Resource (TPEIR) reports on prekindergarten student assessment results are accurate. 

• As part of the required family engagement plan, school systems are encouraged to provide families with progress monitoring updates that address all five required domains at least three times a year. 

• Progress monitoring for eligible 3-year-old students is not required and may be conducted at the school system’s discretion. 

Data Submission Due Date: 

Raw BOY and EOY data for all eligible 4-year-old prekindergarten students must be submitted to TEA in the Prekindergarten Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) Collection by June 25, 2026. For additional information regarding ECDS timelines, visit the ECDS Submission Timelines webpage.  

Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments for 2025–26: 

• Circle Progress Monitoring System by Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) 

• COR Advantage by HighScope Educational Research Foundation 

• CPALLS+STEM by Circle Progress Monitoring administered through TANGO Software  

• Frog Street Assessment – Criterion Referenced Assessment by Frog Street 

• GOLD® by Teaching Strategies, LLC 

• LION for Prekindergarten by Liberty Source 

Kindergarten Readiness: BOY Reading Instrument Administration Requirements 

To support the measurement of foundational literacy skills in reading development and comprehension, school systems must administer a Commissioner-approved kindergarten reading instrument to all kindergarten students at the beginning of the school year (Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.006). 

Administration and Parental Notification Guidance: 

• BOY reading instruments must be administered no later than the 60th day of the school year.* 

• School systems should have procedures in place to collect and report data for students captured in Fall Snapshot who miss the instrument administration or enroll after the window. This data is crucial for ensuring TPEIR reports displaying kindergarten assessment results are accurate. 

• Families must be notified of BOY results in writing or electronically no later than the earlier of the 20th school day or the 30th calendar day after results are available.* 

*These new requirements are established in House Bill 2, Article 5, Section 5.09, 89th Texas Legislature (amending TEC, §28.006). 

Approved Kindergarten Reading Instruments for 2025–2026: 

• Circle Kindergarten Progress Monitoring (formerly known as TX-KEA) by CLI 

• mCLASS Texas Edition by Amplify 

Data Submission Due Date: 

Raw BOY data for kindergarten students must be submitted to TEA in the Kindergarten ECDS Collection by January 29, 2026. For additional information regarding ECDS timelines, visit the ECDS Submission Timelines webpage. 

Kindergarten MOY & EOY Requirements 

As noted above, HB 2 requires districts to use an agency-approved BOY, MOY, and EOY instrument, once the agency adopts a list of instruments. To date, this has not been done. So, the above Kindergarten-readiness instrument is required, but no additional MOY or EOY requirements exist at this time. Additional correspondence will be provided in the future when MOY and EOY instruments are adopted.  

Grades 1 and 2 Reading Instrument Administration Requirements 

School systems should collect data regarding student reading proficiency using an approved instrument (either from the Commissioner's List or selected by a district-level committee) for all students in grades 1 and 2.  

Approved Reading Instruments for Grades 1 and 2 for 2025–26: 

• mCLASS Texas Edition by Amplify 

• TPRI/Tejas LEE (All vendor versions accepted, including CLI, Tango Software, and Amira Learning)  

• Note: Only the CLI vendor version is offered at no cost. 

• Alternate instrument selected by a district-level committee 

Administration and Parental Notification Guidance: 

• It is recommended that the BOY instruments be administered within the first 60 days of school so that the resulting data can be used for instructional purposes.  

• Families should be notified of BOY results within 60 days of administration. 

Dyslexia Screening Requirements for Kindergarten and Grade 1 

HB 2 also made changes to TEC §38.003 regarding universal dyslexia screeners required by the State Board of Education (SBOE) for students in kindergarten and grade 1 to align with the revised reading instruments that will measure foundational literacy skills. While the agency transitions to the new instruments, school systems will continue to administer a  universal dyslexia screener by the end of the school year for all kindergarten students and by January 31, 2026, for all grade 1 students and the screening requirements described in the Dyslexia Handbook adopted by the SBOE.  

Data Submission Due Date: 

The Dyslexia-Risk descriptor must be submitted to TEA in the Summer Submission (PEIMS Submission Timelines) for all kindergarten and first grade students.   

Additional Information and Support 

Note: Districts of innovation and charter schools are not exempt from the requirements outlined in this correspondence. 

For additional information relating to early childhood instruments and requirements, visit the Early Learning Assessments webpage. 

For details on commissioner-approved instruments, visit the Data Tool Selection Guidance webpage on the TEA website. 

For questions regarding prekindergarten, kindergarten, grade 1 or grade 2 instruments, please contact the Division of Early Childhood Education through the ECE Support Portal.  

For questions or additional information relating to grade 7 reading diagnostic instruments, please submit a Curriculum Request Form through the TEA Help Desk.