Important Updates | K-2 Reading Instruments for 2020-2021
CAOs and Assessment and Accountability Experts:
In case you missed yesterday’s ECE newsletter blast, TEA announced additional K-2 reading diagnostic options that are free for districts to use. (Emphasis added.)
The Early Childhood Education Division is excited to share some updates regarding additional K-2 reading diagnostic options for districts and open-enrollment charters (LEAs). With the Texas Education Agency’s selection of mCLASS Texas Edition (Amplify) , LEAs now have two options for conducting required beginning-of-year kindergarten reading screenings, both of which are free (the other being TX-KEA by CLI ). LEAs are required to use one of these two reading diagnostic tools in the 2020-2021 school year.
The number of free 1st and 2nd grade reading diagnostic tools available increases as well, as TEA has selected mCLASS Texas Edition (Amplify) and Fastbridge earlyReading and CBMreading (Illuminate Education) . LEAs are not limited to using these reading diagnostic tools for 1st and 2nd grade. These selections were made to increase the number of free options available for LEAs.
More details for both Kindergarten and 1st/2nd Grade can be found below.
Kindergarten
House Bill 3 (HB 3), 86th Texas Legislature, 2019, permits the commissioner to adopt one alternative reading instrument for kindergarten as described in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.006 (b-1). Through a competitive review, the commissioner has identified mCLASS Texas Edition from Amplify as an alternate kindergarten reading instrument for the 2020-2021 school year.
The mCLASS Texas Edition platform and reports will be available for free to school districts and open-enrollment charter schools who choose to use the alternative reading instrument. The mCLASS Texas Edition is developmentally appropriate for students, provides immediate results and actionable insights for educators, is available in English and Spanish, and supports both universal screening as well as dyslexia screening. mCLASS Texas Edition will be available online and in paper format (e.g., for accommodations) to LEAs for administration. Please note, mCLASS Texas Edition will meet TEA-compliant data reporting requirements listed in the TEDS Data Standards.
Over the next month, the TEA will share more detailed information about the mCLASS Texas Edition alternative reading instrument, as well as instructions for how LEAs can access the instrument and training.
To learn more about the alternative reading instrument, visit amplify.com/mclass-texas . To learn about the other commissioner-selected kindergarten entry assessment (TX-KEA), visit https://cliengage.org/public/tools/assessment/tx-kea/ .
Grades 1 and 2
As additional free options for LEAs, TEA has selected mCLASS Texas Edition (Amplify) and Fastbridge earlyReading and CBMreading (Illuminate Education) . Authorization is valid until December 31, 2021.
Amplify Education, Inc. and Illuminate Education, Inc. platforms and reports will be available for free to school districts and open-enrollment charter schools that choose to use one of the aforementioned instruments for grades 1 and 2. These tools are developmentally appropriate for students, provide immediate results and actionable insights for educators, and are available in English and Spanish. The reading instruments will be available online and in paper format (e.g., for accommodations) to districts for administration and will meet TEA-compliant data reporting requirements listed in the TEDS Data Standards.
Additional Information
New information regarding this announcement will be provided on the 2020-2021 K-2nd Grade Reading Diagnostic page of the TEA website. If you have any questions related to these updates regarding kindergarten, grade 1, or grade 2 reading diagnostic instruments under HB 3, please contact the Division of Early Childhood Education by email at earlychildhoodeducation@tea.texas.gov or email HB3info@tea.texas.gov.