FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 21, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Hill, press@texasaft.org
House Bill 8 does not overhaul high-stakes testing in Texas schools
AUSTIN, Texas – Today, the Texas House Committee on Public Education will take public testimony on House Bill 8, its initial offering in this second special session on testing and accountability reform. During the 2025 regular session, the Texas House passed House Bill 4, a bipartisan attempt to eliminate the STAAR test. Disagreements between the House and Senate doomed the bill, which has been added to the governor’s agenda for the special session.
HB 8 replaces STAAR with tests driven by the Texas Education Agency and its appointed commissioner, does nothing to build out more holistic criteria to inform A-F ratings, and increases the number of standardized tests that students take throughout the school year. HB 4 included key bipartisan provisions that would have broadened the scope of student success indicators to include participation in extracurriculars, pre-K, and career and technical education, as well as required the Legislature’s approval on any changes to the state’s accountability system.
The bill being heard today removes those provisions and, further, takes away districts’ recourse to challenge accountability ratings in court. As such, Texas AFT will oppose the bill at today’s hearing.
“Lawmakers haven’t gotten rid of high-stakes testing. They’ve just rebranded it,” said Zeph Capo, president of Texas AFT. “Our schools need true testing and accountability reform, not craven attempts to silence dissent, empower an appointed commissioner, and force students to take even more tests each year. Texas educators won’t be tempted by half-baked policies when there is bipartisan support for real reform.”
Read testimony from Kelsey Kling, Texas AFT policy expert, here.
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The Texas American Federation of Teachers represents 66,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, support personnel, and higher-education employees across the state. Texas AFT is affiliated with the 1.8 million-member American Federation of Teachers and the AFL-CIO.