Grade 7 Reading Instruments

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.

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

 The following reading instruments have been reviewed and show reliable and valid measurement of the skills in the domains indicated with an X. The required domains for Grade 7 are Phonics/Word Analysis (PH/WA), Text Comprehension – Reading (TC-R), and Fluency (FL). Students must be assessed in all required domains. The vocabulary (VO) domain is recommended. Some instruments may include additional domains such as Phonological/Phonemic Awareness (P/PA), Phonics/Word Recognition (PH/WR), and Text Comprehension – Listening (TC-L).

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which students should be administered a grade seven reading instrument?

TEC §28.006(c-1) requires each school district to administer at the beginning of the seventh grade a reading diagnostic instrument adopted by the commissioner to each student whose performance on the grade 6 STAAR reading assessment did not meet the passing standard. The admission, review, and dismissal committee or the Section 504 committee for each student who was administered an alternate form of the state assessment in reading may determine if the diagnostic assessment is appropriate for use with that student.
 

2. When should a grade seven reading instrument be administered to students?

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

3. How should the data from the grade seven reading instrument be used?

A school district must provide additional reading instruction and intervention as appropriate to improve the student's reading skills in the areas of need identified by the diagnostic reading assessment.
 

4. Are waivers available to use a reading instrument not included on the 2023-2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Grade 7 Reading Instruments?

No, waivers to use a reading instrument not included on the 2023-2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Grade 7 Reading Instruments are not available. 
 

5. Are any of the grade 7 reading instruments free of charge? 

Yes, the Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment (TMSFA) option is available to districts and charter schools free of charge. 
 

6. Where can I find more information about the TMSFA free option? 

Please contact the Curriculum Standards and Student Support Division by completing a Curriculum Request Form indicating your request for a copy of the TMSFA material. 
 

7. Where can I find more information about training available for the TMSFA administration? 

Access to online training about how to administer the TMSFA can be found on the Texas Gateway website.