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 Section 28.0211(a-8), which now allows school districts to provide supplemental instruction in a maximum of two subject areas per school year, prioritizing mathematics and reading or Algebra I. Additionally, Section 39.023 has been amended to limit the end-of-course assessments to Algebra I, biology, and English I, while removing the requirements for English II and United States history assessments.

Furthermore, the bill introduces new provisions that state students are not required to achieve satisfactory performance on end-of-course assessments for English II or United States history to receive a high school diploma, effective from the 2025-2026 school year. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools will no longer be able to enforce policies requiring satisfactory performance on these assessments for students enrolled as of the effective date. The bill also allows for the possibility of readopting such policies after the effective date, but only for students who enroll after the policy is reinstated. The changes are set to take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds vote from both houses or on September 1, 2025, if that threshold is not met.

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