To the Administrator Addressed (TAA) Correspondence
PDF | 712.37 KB
House Bill 8 (HB 8), passed during the 89th Texas Legislature, 2nd Called Session (2025), and signed by Governor Abbott in September 2025, repeals and replaces the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) with the Student Success Tool (SST), Texas’s new instructionally supportive assessment program, beginning in the 2027-28 school year.
This communication provides Texas public school systems with implementation updates, including newly available SST resources, updates on alternative beginning-of-year (BOY) and middle-of-year (MOY) assessment approvals and the HB 8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, and information about the upcoming February 2027 SST Stand-Alone Field Test.
As part of TEA's ongoing commitment to transparency, educator engagement, and providing early access to development materials, several new resources are now available on the House Bill 8 webpage to support educators’ understanding of SST design, content, reporting framework, and transition planning. All materials have been developed to align with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Finalized SST blueprints provide information about assessment design and the distribution of assessed student expectations to support curriculum planning, instructional alignment, and overall familiarity with the structure of SST assessments.
Scoring rubrics for selected item types provide transparency into scoring expectations to support classroom instructional planning and educator understanding of how student responses will be evaluated.
Sample SST BOY and MOY reporting prototypes are now available for viewing. These examples provide an early look at how student performance information may be presented to teachers. TEA will continue to expand views and make additional refinements as it gathers stakeholder input throughout the planning process. Viewers of the reporting prototype examples are invited to submit preliminary feedback through the BOY/MOY Reporting Prototypes Form.
To support interpretation of SST results, TEA will release Range Performance Level Descriptors (RPLDs) starting in winter 2027 for all subjects/grades assessed by SST. RPLDs are a data-driven, educator-reviewed, curriculum-agnostic breakdown of each standard into an on-grade continuum of skills across assessment performance levels that students would demonstrate.
Sample 1: Grade 6 Math Standard 6.3.D
Sample 2: Grade 8 Science Standard 8.7.A
RPLDs are designed to support instructional decision-making by providing educators with more detailed information about student performance within achievement levels. SST score reports will have RPLD information embedded within reporting, including suggested next steps given students’ estimated ability levels.
The HB 8 FAQ has been updated with additional information and clarifications regarding implementation of the new assessment program. As the primary source of information on assessment requirements during the transition period, the FAQ document will continue to be updated as stakeholders submit additional questions. School systems are encouraged to review the document periodically for the most current information.
HB 8 requires TEA to establish a commissioner-approved list of alternative assessments that may be used to satisfy BOY and MOY assessment requirements.
TEA is currently completing its review of submitted alternative BOY and MOY assessment options. The list of approved alternative assessments is expected to be published by October 2026, providing school systems with the opportunity to review approved options and determine which assessment instrument best supports their local instructional needs.
Additional information regarding alternative assessments will be posted to the HB 8 webpage as it becomes available.
As announced in May 2026, TEA will administer a required stand-alone field test February 1-5, 2027, to support development of future SST assessments. The field test will be administered online for the following grades/subjects and courses:
As required by state law, selected campuses are expected to participate in field-testing activities. Results will be used exclusively for assessment development purposes and will not be reported for student performance purposes.
Districts will be notified of their selected campuses on August 21, 2027.
TEA will continue to provide updates through future correspondence, webinars, and stakeholder engagement opportunities as SST implementation progresses toward the 2027–2028 school year.
Texas Education Agency
Student Assessment Division
(512) 463-9536
Student Assessment Division Help Desk