Relating to the terminology used to refer to certain assessment instruments administered to public school students.
LowStandard timeline
Low Cost
Effective:2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies
Texas Education Agency • Commissioner of Education
01
Compliance Analysis
Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation
Implementation Timeline
Effective Date: September 1, 2025
Compliance Deadline:August 1, 2025 (Systems must be updated prior to the start of the 2025-2026 academic year to prevent data ingestion errors).
Agency Rulemaking: The Commissioner of Education must adopt rules determining the method for using PreACT scores to satisfy EOC requirements. Expect these technical specifications (cut scores) between June and August 2025.
Immediate Action Plan
1.Audit Data Fields: Immediately identify all database instances of "ACT-Plan" and "SAT Subject Tests."
2.Update Logic: Program systems to route "PreACT" data through existing college readiness and EOC substitution workflows.
3.Halt Ingestion: Configure input validation to reject new "SAT Subject Test" data entries effective immediately.
4.Monitor TEA: Set a Google Alert for "Commissioner of Education PreACT rulemaking" to catch the specific cut-score requirements this summer.
Operational Changes Required
Contracts
Vendor MSAs: Review Master Service Agreements with school districts. If your Scope of Work explicitly lists "ACT-Plan" data support, execute a technical addendum to reflect the statutory change to "PreACT."
Data Privacy: Ensure data definitions in privacy agreements are broad enough to encompass "PreACT" without requiring full contract renegotiation.
Hiring/Training
Counselor Training: Guidance counselors and registrars must be trained to stop accepting "SAT Subject Tests" for EOC substitution immediately.
IT/Product Teams: No new hiring, but development hours must be allocated to update backend data dictionaries and frontend user interfaces.
Reporting & Record-Keeping
Data Dictionary Updates:
Deprecate "SAT Subject Tests" as an active field for new EOC substitutions.
Map "PreACT" to the logic flows previously used for "ACT-Plan."
Standardize nomenclature for "PSAT," "SAT," and "ACT" across all reporting dashboards.
Transcript Audits: Ensure historical transcripts retain legacy "ACT-Plan" labels where appropriate, while forcing "PreACT" for all future entries.
Fees & Costs
No State Fees: There are no new statutory fees.
Operational Costs: Costs are limited to internal IT labor for system reconfiguration and testing.
Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations
PreACT Cut Scores: The bill changes the test name, but the Commissioner sets the performance standard. There is a risk that the TEA may establish a different "passing" standard for the PreACT than was used for the ACT-Plan. Do not hard-code legacy passing scores into your new PreACT logic until the Commissioner publishes the concordance tables.
Legacy SAT Subject Tests: The bill removes SAT Subject Tests from the statute without an explicit grandfather clause for students who took them prior to discontinuation (2021) but have not yet graduated. Until TEA issues guidance, flag these records for manual review rather than automatic rejection.
Need Help Understanding Implementation?
Our government affairs experts can walk you through this bill's specific impact on your operations.
Information presented is for general knowledge only and is provided without warranty, express or implied. Consult qualified government affairs professionals and legal counsel before making compliance decisions.
Texas public schools utilize a variety of standardized assessment instruments to measure student performance and determine postsecondary readiness. These assessments include state-mandated end-of-course (EOC) exams, as well as nationally recognized tests like the SAT, ACT, PSAT, and PreACT (formerly ACT-Plan). Current Texas Education Code sections, specifically 39.025, 39.0263, and 39.202, reference these assessments in various contexts, including determining student eligibility for course credit and district/campus academic distinction designations.
However, the terminology used to refer to the PreACT assessment (previously known as ACT-Plan) is outdated. This bill aims to update the Education Code to reflect the current name of this assessment instrument, ensuring accuracy and consistency in state educational policies.
Senate Bill 1418 (S.B. 1418) is primarily a technical correction, so it has minimal direct impact on students' day-to-day educational experiences.
Legislative Intent:
The primary legislative intent of S.B. 1418 is to correct the outdated reference to "ACT-Plan" in the Texas Education Code and replace it with the current name, "PreACT." This ensures that the code accurately reflects the current assessment instrument used in Texas public schools.
Key Provisions:
The replacement of the outdated term "ACT-Plan" with the current term "PreACT" throughout the Texas Education Code.
�This change is found in: Section 39.025(a-2), Section 39.0263(c), Section 39.202.
As proposed, S.B. 1418 amends current law relating to the terminology used to refer to certain assessment instruments administered to public school students.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 39.025(a-2), Education Code, as follows:
(a-2) Requires the commissioner of education (commissioner) to determine a method by which the student's satisfactory performance on the PSAT or the PreACT, rather than the ACT-Plan, is required to be used to satisfy the requirements concerning an end-of-course assessment instrument in an equivalent course as prescribed by Subsection (a) (relating to requiring the commissioner to adopt rules for the administration of certain end-of-course assessment instruments). Makes conforming changes.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 39.0263(c), Education Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 3. Amends Section 39.202, Education Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2025.
Honorable Brandon Creighton, Chair, Senate Committee on Education K-16
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1418 by Campbell (Relating to the terminology used to refer to certain assessment instruments administered to public school students.), As Introduced
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
701 Texas Education Agency
LBB Staff:
JMc, FV, SL
Related Legislation
Explore more bills from this author and on related topics
SB1418 mandates technical updates to student information systems and graduation tracking logic by replacing obsolete testing terminology (ACT-Plan) with current standards (PreACT) and removing SAT Subject Tests as valid End-of-Course (EOC) substitutions. This legislation primarily impacts EdTech vendors, school data officers, and compliance consultants managing Texas accountability data, requiring immediate database field mapping updates. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: September 1, 2025 Compliance Deadline: August 1, 2025 (Systems must be updated prior to the start of the 2025-2026 academic year to prevent data ingestion errors).
Q
Who authored SB1418?
SB1418 was authored by Texas Senator Donna Campbell during the Regular Session.
Q
When was SB1418 signed into law?
SB1418 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on May 24, 2025.
Q
Which agencies enforce SB1418?
SB1418 is enforced by Texas Education Agency and Commissioner of Education.
Q
How urgent is compliance with SB1418?
The compliance urgency for SB1418 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.
Q
What is the cost impact of SB1418?
The cost impact of SB1418 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.
Q
What topics does SB1418 address?
SB1418 addresses topics including education, education--higher, education--higher--admission & attendance, education--primary & secondary and education--primary & secondary--testing.
Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025
Need Strategic Guidance on This Bill?
Need help with Government Relations, Lobbying, or compliance? JD Key Consulting has the expertise you're looking for.
