Implementation of Early Childhood Instruments in the 2022-23 School Year

This correspondence provides updates relating to the administration and reporting of early childhood education instruments, including prekindergarten instruments and kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2 reading instruments, in the 2022-23 school year. Updates include key dates for administration and reporting of instruments for each grade level. 

Approved Prekindergarten Instruments 

The Commissioner’s List of Approved Prekindergarten Instruments that was initially approved for use during the 2017-2022 school years has been extended for use through the 2022-23 school year in accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.169 and §28.006. 

The Commissioner’s list, with detailed information about each instrument, can be found on the Educator Resources page of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) website, as well as on the Data Tool Selection Guidance webpage. 

Districts and open-enrollment charter schools (collectively local educational agencies or LEAs), in the provision of high-quality, full-day prekindergarten for 4-year-old students, must collect data regarding student progress in all five domains of health and wellness, language and communication, emergent literacy reading, emergent literacy writing, and mathematics at both the beginning of year (BOY) and end of the year (EOY) by using one or more of the instruments on the Commissioner's list. This raw data must be submitted to the Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) by June 22, 2023. 

The BOY and EOY windows are determined by the LEA. It is recommended that students are administered the BOY instruments within the first 4-6 weeks of school so that resulting data can be used for instructional purposes. While the ECDS submission window for prekindergarten data closes on June 22, 2023, LEAs are encouraged to begin submitting BOY data as early as November 7, 2022. 

Kindergarten Reading Instruments 

LEAs must use either the Texas Kindergarten Entry Assessment (TX-KEA) by the Children's Learning Institute or mCLASS Texas by Amplify as the required beginning-of-year literacy instrument. The authorization period for TX-KEA and mCLASS Texas as free, Commissioner-selected literacy screening tools for kindergarten is through August 2024. This means that LEAs can use either of these tools to conduct the required beginning-of-year literacy screening for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. 

Learn more about each of the kindergarten literacy instruments on the Kindergarten Data Tool Selection Guidance page.  

TX-KEA Update 

TEA, in partnership with the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI), will provide additional information when reporting BOY scores for the TX-KEA literacy screener for school year 2022-23. In addition to the composite score that is currently reported, LEAs will receive information about students’ literacy skills in each of the three required subtests: letter names, vocabulary, and spelling.  

Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, TEA will report statewide kindergarten readiness based on the number of students who meet the “on track” benchmark in all three subtests and who are not identified as in need of additional support. LEAs can use the additional subtest data to make individual determinations regarding students who may require additional support. 

Detailed information on the two scoring methodologies can be found here: Alternate Scoring Resource Page 

mCLASS Texas Update 

mCLASS Lectura is a new dual language instrument that will be offered for free for Kindergarten-grade 2 through August 2024. LEAs who have been using mCLASS IDEL, will transition to mCLASS Lectura for the 2022-23 school year as mCLASS IDEL was discontinued at the end of the 2021-22 school year. 

More information about mCLASS Lectura can be found here: mCLASS Lectura Information 

It is recommended that students are administered the kindergarten literacy screener within the first 4-6 weeks of school so that resulting data can be used for instructional purposes. Families should be notified of the BOY literacy screener results in writing within 60 days of administration. The Early Reading Indicator Code should be submitted in the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) twice a year by December 8, 2022, and June 15, 2023. The BOY literacy screener data should be submitted in ECDS between November 7th, 2022, and January 26, 2023. The universal dyslexia screener should be conducted by the end of the school year. The Dyslexia Code should be submitted in PEIMS by June 15, 2023. 

Grades 1 and 2 Reading Instruments 

LEAs must collect data regarding student reading proficiency using an approved instrument (either from the Commissioner's List or selected by an LEA-level committee as per TEC, §28.006 (b)). There are three free approved literacy instruments for grades 1 and 2. The free tools are mCLASS Texas, TPRI/Tejas Lee, and FastBridge. The authorization period for mCLASS Texas as a free, Commissioner-selected reading instrument for first and second grade is through August 2024. This means that LEAs can use this tool to conduct the required literacy screening for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. 

Learn more about each of the kindergarten literacy instruments on the 1st and 2nd Grade Data Tool Selection Guidance page.  

In first grade, data collection is completed with a Commissioner-approved or LEA-selected instrument at the beginning of the year in accordance with TEC, §28.006. Results of this collection are used to report student Early Reading Indicator codes in PEIMS twice a year by December 8, 2022, and June 15, 2023. A dyslexia screener should be administered to all first grade students by January 31, 2023. Student dyslexia risk codes must be submitted to PEIMS by June 15, 2023. 

In second grade, data collection is completed with a Commissioner-approved or district-selected tool at the beginning of the year in accordance with TEC, §28.006. Results of this collection are used to report student Early Reading Indicator codes in PEIMS twice a year by December 8, 2022, and June 15, 2023. 

Technical Assistance  

As we think about the upcoming school year, TEA’s early childhood education (ECE) team has been developing strategies to support LEAs with collecting and using data to monitor student progress. Potential technical assistance may include touchpoints on progress, webinars, office hours, training, surveys to understand support needs, and regular communication. As soon as the support plan is finalized, pertinent information will be posted on this webpage: Data Driven Instruction Best Practices. 

Additionally, in the coming months the ECE team will solicit feedback from early educators regarding future implementation of tools to support early childhood instruction. This input will guide future plans for a comprehensive set of aligned prekindergarten through grade 2 instruments to help educators implement data-driven instruction. 

Questions 

If you have any questions regarding prekindergarten, kindergarten, grade 1, or grade 2 instruments, please contact the Division of Early Childhood by email at earlychildhoodeducation@tea.texas.gov.