On Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) released an official proclamation calling the 89th Texas Legislature back for a special session to begin July 21. The proclamation includes 18 items—a a robust call for a 30-day special session. The first four items on the list relate directly to the recent flooding in Central Texas. Other items include contentious legislation that failed to pass during the regular session, including legislation on state testing, as well as issues considered “red meat” to many Republican primary voters, Abbott’s base.  

The call for testing reform reads “… consider and act upon … [l]egislation to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with effective tools to assess student progress and ensure school district accountability.” During the recently concluded regular session, House Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley (R-Salado) filed House Bill (HB) 4 on this subject. The bill ultimately failed when the Senate and House could not come to agreement over its language, including whether to reduce or enhance the commissioner’s control over both the testing system and school districts’ ability to push back over what they considered to be agency abuses regarding regulation of the testing and accountability system.  

Testing is a hot-button issue with most parents and educators, who are typically aligned in favor of reducing the footprint of state testing, and the agency and some education reform groups that are typically in favor of maintaining or increasing testing and punitive test-based accountability systems.  

Those interested can read the full proclamation for the remainder of the items on the governor’s call.