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To the Administrator Addressed (TAA) Correspondence

2026-27 Required Implementation: PK–K Assessments and Dyslexia Screening

The ºÚÁÏÍø (ºÚÁÏÍø) supports school systems with the required implementation of early childhood instruments. This correspondence outlines prekindergarten progress monitoring requirements, kindergarten reading readiness assessment requirements and K–1 dyslexia screening requirements for the 2026–27 school year for all Texas school systems.

Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instrument Administration Requirements 

To support the delivery of high-quality, full-day prekindergarten for eligible 4-year-old students, school systems must collect student progress monitoring data in the following five required domains:

  • Health and wellness 
  • Emergent literacy – language and communication 
  • Emergent literacy – reading 
  • Emergent literacy – writing 
  • Mathematics

Data must be collected at the beginning-of-year (BOY), middle-of-year (MOY), and end-of-year (EOY) using an instrument from the Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments ().

Administration and Parental Notification Guidance: 

  • The instrument administration windows are determined locally. It is recommended that the BOY instruments be administered within the first 60 days of school so that the resulting data can be used for instructional purposes.  
  • School systems should ensure they have systems in place to collect and report student progress monitoring data for students who may have missed the administration or enrolled after the designated window. This data is crucial for ensuring reports on prekindergarten student assessment results are accurate. 
  • As part of the required family engagement plan, school systems are encouraged to provide families with progress monitoring updates that address all five required domains at least three times a year. 
  • Progress monitoring for eligible 3-year-old students is not required and may be conducted at the school system’s discretion.

Data Submission Due Date: 
Raw BOY and EOY data for all eligible 4-year-old prekindergarten students must be submitted to ºÚÁÏÍø in the Prekindergarten Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) Collection by June 24, 2027. For additional information regarding ECDS timelines, visit the webpage.  

Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments for 2026–27:

  • Circle Progress Monitoring System by Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) 
  • COR Advantage by HighScope Educational Research Foundation 
  • CPALLS+STEM by Circle Progress Monitoring administered through TANGO Software  
  • Frog Street Assessment – Criterion Referenced Assessment by Frog Street 
  • GOLD® by Teaching Strategies, LLC 
  • LION for Prekindergarten by Liberty Source

Kindergarten Reading Readiness Assessment Requirements

To measure foundational literacy and comprehension skills, all school systems with a kindergarten program must administer a commissioner-approved kindergarten reading readiness instrument to all kindergarten students at the beginning of the school year (BOY) (). No unapproved instruments may be used.

Approved Kindergarten Reading Instruments for 2026–27:

  • Circle Kindergarten Progress Monitoring (formerly known as TX-KEA) by CLI 
  • mCLASS Texas Edition by Amplify

Administration Window: BOY reading instruments must be administered no later than the 60th day of the school year.

Make-up and late enrollees: School systems should have procedures in place to collect and report data for students captured in Fall Snapshot who miss the instrument administration or enroll after the window. This data is crucial for ensuring reports displaying kindergarten assessment results are accurate.

Family notification: Families must be notified of BOY results in writing or electronically no later than the earlier of the 20th school day or the 30th calendar day after results are available.

Data Submission Due Date: Kindergarten assessment data must be submitted to ºÚÁÏÍø through the Kindergarten ECDS Collection by January 28, 2027.

K–1 Dyslexia Screening Requirements

requires universal screening for dyslexia in kindergarten and grade 1. Dyslexia screeners must continue to be administered in the 2026–27 school year in accordance with The Dyslexia Handbook: Procedures Concerning Dyslexia and Related Disorders, 2024 Update.

Required Dyslexia Screening Timelines:

  • Kindergarten: By the end of the school year
  • Grade 1: By January 31st

Data Submission: This data must be submitted to ºÚÁÏÍø in the 2027 PEIMS Summer Submission.

For more information about dyslexia screening requirements, visit the Dyslexia and Related Disorders webpage.

Guidance for Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Instruments in the 2026–27 School Year

As a reminder, House Bill (HB) 2, 89th Texas Legislature, established statewide requirements related to foundational literacy and numeracy instruments. For the 2026–27 school year, school systems are encouraged, but not required, to administer commissioner-approved board-selected foundational literacy and numeracy assessments in grades K–3 under TEC, §28.0063. These assessments become required beginning in the 2027–28 school year and are separate from the required kindergarten reading readiness assessment previously mentioned, which must continue to be administered using 1 of the 2 commissioner-approved instruments. For additional information, refer to the HB 2 Implementation: Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Instruments and Extension of Current K–2 Reading Instruments correspondence (January 29, 2026).

Additional Information and Support

For additional information relating to commissioner-approved instruments and requirements, visit the Early Learning Assessments webpage.

For questions regarding prekindergarten or kindergarten requirements, contact ºÚÁÏÍø through the .