The bill, H.B. No. 297, aims to eliminate certain state-required end-of-course assessment instruments that are not mandated by federal law, as well as to remove graduation requirements based on satisfactory performance on specific end-of-course assessments. Key amendments include changes to the Education Code, specifically in Sections 28.0211 and 39.023, where the bill modifies the requirements for supplemental instruction and the assessment instruments for secondary-level courses. Notably, the assessments for English II and United States history are no longer required for graduation, and school districts are not mandated to administer these assessments, although they may choose to do so voluntarily.

Additionally, the bill introduces provisions that exempt students from needing to achieve satisfactory scores on the end-of-course assessments for English II and United States history in order to receive a high school diploma. It allows for the readoption of policies by school districts or charter schools regarding assessment performance after the effective date of the bill. The changes will take effect starting with the 2025-2026 school year, and the bill will become effective immediately if it receives a two-thirds majority vote in both houses; otherwise, it will take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Education Code 39.023, Education Code 39.025 (Education Code 39)