Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
Relating to authorizing the use of a writing portfolio assessment
to assess writing performance for public school students.
Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related
Funds for HB2344, Committee Report 1st House, Substituted: a negative impact of
($232,806,208) through the biennium ending August 31, 2023. The bill would make
no appropriation but could provide the legal basis for an appropriation of
funds to implement the provisions of the bill.
HB 2344 would authorize a public school district to use a writing portfolio assessment to assess writing performance for students enrolled in the district as an alternative to administering the written portion of a statewide standardized reading test.
We certainly do not object to school districts offering an alternative writing assessment. Writing skills generally appear to be in decline and alternative assessments may help to improve outcomes in this area. However, the fiscal note for this legislation assumes a significant biennial cost of more than $232 million. Due to our concerns over the cost of implementation, Texas Action remains neutral on HB 2344.