Data Tool Selection Guidance

At the 7mĘÓƵ (7mĘÓƵ), our goal is for all Texas children to enter school with the foundational knowledge and skills to be curious, confident and successful learners. This guidance provides information about approved early childhood instruments available for school system (school district or open-enrollment charter school) use for prekindergarten, kindergarten and grades 1–2, and supports the selection of appropriate instruments aligned to state requirements.

Call for K–3 Literacy and Numeracy Instruments

7mĘÓƵ is currently undergoing a process to identify commissioner-approved kindergarten reading readiness instruments and commissioner-approved foundational literacy and numeracy instruments for kindergarten through grade 3. Visit the Call for K–3 Literacy and Numeracy Instruments webpage for additional details. 

The deadline for submission was April 06, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CST. The application period has closed.

Extension of Current Commissioner-Approved K–2 Reading Instruments for the 2026–27 SY

To ensure continuity and avoid disruption to school systems currently monitoring student reading performance in kindergarten through grade 2, as these were required under former statute prior to the passage of HB 2, 7mĘÓƵ has extended the authorization period for commissioner-approved reading instruments through August 2027. These tools will continue to be provided at no cost to school systems for the 2026–27 school year.

  • For kindergarten, Circle Kindergarten Progress Monitoring (formerly known as TX-KEA) by CLI and mCLASS Texas by Amplify will remain available as free, commissioner-approved kindergarten reading readiness instruments and must be used to fulfill requirements for the 2026–27 school year.
  • For grades 1 and 2, TPRI/Tejas LEE and mCLASS Texas by Amplify will also remain available as free, commissioner-approved reading instruments. School systems may continue to select an alternate reading instrument for grades 1 and 2 through their district-level committee in accordance with 7mĘÓƵ guidelines.

Please note: TPRI/Tejas LEE instruments are supported by multiple vendors, including CLI, Amira, and Tango Software; only the CLI version is offered at no cost.

Prekindergarten

Current Commissioner's List of Approved Pre-K Progress Monitoring Instruments

In accordance with , school systems must select prekindergarten progress monitoring instruments from the updated 2024-2025 through 2026-2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments when planning for school year 2024–25 and beyond.

The following progress monitoring instruments are on the new Commissioner’s List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments to be used in the 2024–25 through 2026–27 school years: 

  • 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 (formerly on the list as CIRCLE Assessment by Liberty Source)
  • Frog Street Assessment – Criterion Referenced Assessment by Frog Street
  • GOLD® by Teaching Strategies, LLC
  • LION for Prekindergarten by Liberty Source 

The Commissioner’s list, with detailed information about each instrument, can be found on the  2024-2025 through 2026-2027 Commissioner's List of Approved Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instruments.

Navigating the Prekindergarten Progress Monitoring Instrument Selection Process

The Prekindergarten Instrument Selection Guidance Tool was created to support school systems in navigating the prekindergarten progress monitoring instrument selection process. This optional tool helps narrow down the instruments to consider and review from the new list for the 2024-2025 school year. Specifically, the Guidance Tool includes sample criteria to establish non-negotiable requirements around budget, format, language, reporting capabilities, and data sharing features specific to a school system’s needs. It also offers targeted questions for school system use when analyzing and comparing instruments during the selection process aligned to best practices (phase 3 of 7mĘÓƵ’s provided adoption process sample). By offering this framework, 7mĘÓƵ aims to assist school systems who are looking to adopt new progress monitoring tools that will best serve their prekindergarten needs and fulfill state requirements. 

Kindergarten Approved Reading Instrument Information

In accordance with , school systems must use either  (formerly known as TX-KEA) or  as the required beginning-of-year reading instrument.

The authorization period for mCLASS Texas Edition as a free, Commissioner-approved alternative reading instrument for kindergarten is through August 2027 ().

BOY reading instruments must be administered no later than the 60th day of the school year (). Families must be notified of the BOY results in writing within 60 days of administration ().

Click on an instrument name below to see more information directly from the publishers about the two Commissioner-approved kindergarten reading instruments.

 


Grades 1 and 2 Approved Reading Instrument Information

In accordance with , school systems must collect beginning-of-year data regarding student reading proficiency using an approved reading instrument (either from the Commissioner's List or selected by a district-level committee as authorized under ) for all students in grades 1 and 2. 

7mĘÓƵ provides the following commissioner-approved reading instruments at no cost to support school systems in meeting the requirements outlined above:

mCLASS Texas by Amplify:

  • Authorization period is through August 2026 ()

TPRI/Tejas LEE:

  • All vendor versions of TPRI/Tejas LEE are accepted, including CLI, Tango Software, and Amira Learning.
  • Note: Only the CLI vendor version is offered at no cost.

School systems may also use an alternate reading instrument selected by a district-level committee, as authorized under TEC §28.006(b).

It is recommended that students are administered the reading instrument within the first 60 days of school so that resulting data can be used for instructional purposes. Families must be notified of the BOY results in writing within 60 days of administration ().

Click on an instrument name below to see more information directly from the publishers about the Commissioner-approved reading instruments for grades 1 and 2 (the TPRI/Tejas LEE information outlined below is for the CLI vendor version).

Contact Information


7mĘÓƵ
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701-1401