ATPE Calls for Accountability Pause and Thoughtful Implementation

For years, Texas legislators have promised to reform the state’s high-stakes standardized testing system. During the most recent legislative session, they tried again and failed—or, perhaps more accurately, were blocked by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Now, it appears Gov. Greg Abbott is wanting, or at least willing, to attempt to pass a testing bill in the ongoing special session. What is less clear is whether he is seeking real reform or merely the optics of opposing an unpopular test.

Responsible Implementation

ATPE welcomes improvements designed to eliminate punitive testing practices, reduce disruptions to instructional time, and move away from a test misaligned with grade-level content and classroom realities. However, we have serious concerns about the manner in which such reforms will be implemented and their impact on educators and students. We are also concerned about the accountability system, which is just as important, if not more so, than the test itself because of its far-reaching effects on the resources—both human and financial—available to schools.

Accordingly, ATPE is urging the Legislature to pause the punitive aspects of the A–F accountability system, including district and campus takeovers, for at least three years if lawmakers move forward with major revisions to testing. This pause would give educators, students, parents, and policy makers time to evaluate and adjust to a restructured testing system before it causes significant consequences as the primary driver of the accountability system.

Thoughtful Accountability Reform

Importantly, ATPE is not asking for scores to be hidden or for ratings to be eliminated, only for punitive consequences to be paused while new systems are developed and implemented. Beyond a pause, ATPE encourages lawmakers to consider sunsetting Chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code, where the state’s current accountability system resides, in order to create space for a broader, more inclusive discussion about how Texas defines and measures school success.

Pitfalls of Overtesting

In addition to accountability concerns, ATPE also strongly recommends that if “through-year” testing (administered three times annually) is mandated, local benchmark testing should be explicitly prohibited. Otherwise, students could face up to six rounds of testing in a single year, undermining the very reforms intended to reduce overtesting.

With testing reform as the primary public education issue included on the special session call, ATPE urges legislators to pursue a thoughtful, evidence-based plan that includes broad support from educators and parents. Pushing through a bill any other way risks trading one flawed system for another.

Fair and Future-Focused Assessment

ATPE continues to advocate for a testing and accountability system that is transparent, developed with educator input, grounded in sound statistical principles, and designed to maximize student learning. Accountability systems should give educators real-time data to support students and reflect a broader picture of school quality.

ATPE strongly opposes the use of high-stakes tests as the sole measure of student achievement. Texas students deserve a fair and forward-thinking approach to assessment—one that values growth, supports educators, and centers on student learning above all else.

Your voice matters in this conversation. Please visit ATPE’s Advocacy Central to easily share your thoughts with legislators on both ATPE’s overall priorities for testing and accountability reform and pending related legislation.