School rules and assessment
Follow changes to testing, graduation, grading, curriculum and educator requirements.
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Florida overhauling 2008 science standards while demanding climate content cuts in textbooks
State revises K-12 science standards for first time since 2008, with only five climate benchmarks currently. Meanwhile, state pressured textbook publishers to weaken climate coverage.
Texas adopts first statewide GPA rule, weighting workforce dual credit below academic courses
New rule requires equal weight for AP, IB, OnRamps, and non-workforce dual credit but lower weight for workforce dual credit; public comment warns of impact on career pathways and class rank.
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MPI Estimates 75,000 Unauthorized Immigrant Students Graduate U.S. High Schools Yearly Amid Narrowing Pathways
A new Migration Policy Institute fact sheet estimates about 75,000 unauthorized immigrant students graduate from U.S. high schools each year. The graduates are concentrated in four states and face diminishing opportunities after graduation.
Florida’s Uniform Weighted GPA and Teacher-Prep Curricula Rules Take Effect for 2026-27 School Year
Two Florida State Board of Education rules now in effect: a statewide uniform weighted grading scale for high school courses and required core curricula for teacher preparation programs, with a new teacher examination under development.
Texas's new statewide GPA rule gives workforce dual credit less weight than academic courses
The rule, effective Sept. 23, standardizes high school GPA but ranks career-focused dual credit below academic courses, while the state funds both pathways equally under HB 8.
Florida finalizes uniform GPA weighting and teacher-prep curriculum rules
Both rules have been filed in the Florida Administrative Code; the GPA rule applies from Sept. 2, 2026, and teacher-prep programs must implement new core curricula by Aug. 1, 2027.
NJ State Board advances educator evaluation overhaul to second discussion with no public comments
New Jersey's proposed changes to N.J.A.C. 6A:10 would replace SGOs with measures of student learning and temporarily reinstate a local advisory committee, moving forward without public opposition before the chapter sunsets in July 2027.
Texas reports Bluebonnet Learning STAAR growth differences; questions remain about curriculum effects
TEA’s first-year report identifies 619 adopting school systems and small differences in STAAR growth. Its aggregate comparisons do not establish a causal effect.
NC State Board set to vote on K-12 math overhaul eliminating required Math 3 and Math 4 in favor of elective pathways
The proposed changes would require only Math 1 and Math 2, with students choosing two more courses from eight options aligned to post-graduation plans. The vote follows a review of over 5,700 survey responses showing declining teacher satisfaction and student outcomes in higher grades.
Virginia Board revises alternative assessment guidelines, adds mandatory-permissive split
The revised Local Alternative Assessment guidelines, approved September 24, 2025, categorize subjects without SOL tests into mandatory and permissive categories, setting reporting and scoring standards while allowing division flexibility.
NAEP 8th-grade civics to produce first state-level results in 2028; framework overhaul underway for 2032
The National Assessment Governing Board voted May 15 to update the civics framework for the first time in 30 years, while the 2028 test will allow state-by-state comparisons for the first time.
Alabama approves all 44 educator prep math course sequences under Numeracy Act
The overhaul replaces four math-department content courses with four integrated courses blending content and pedagogy. A new Foundations of Mathematics Assessment is set to become consequential in 2029.
Federal judge vacates Education Department directive that canceled $600M in teacher prep grants
A September 2026 ruling in Massachusetts strikes down the February 2025 DEI directive as unlawful, but leaves the fate of terminated teacher preparation grants unresolved pending further claims.
Ohio HB 455 rewires report cards, expands preschool grants, cuts mandates
Signed July 10, the law tweaks graduation metrics, adds an IEP diploma exemption, and drops more than a dozen reporting requirements.
Arizona lowered AZELLA passing scores, doubling reclassification rate and removing about 30,000 students from EL services
The Arizona Department of Education reset cut scores after a field test with 600 native English speakers found nearly half failed. The statewide reclassification rate jumped from 12% to 26%.
NC budget eliminates Praxis Core for teacher prep, adds EVAAS pathway, eases out-of-state reciprocity
Provisions folded into $34.4 billion state budget signed by Gov. Josh Stein take effect July 1, 2026, amid teacher shortages and declining enrollment in preparation programs.
Texas teacher prep programs must sign anti-DEI attestation under penalty of perjury
The Texas Education Agency sent a compliance form to all 119 Educator Preparation Programs, extending K-12 instructional restrictions to higher education teacher training.
Massachusetts Graduation Council Recommends AI Literacy as Required Milestone
Final advisory report filed June 2026 proposes AI and digital literacy module within career-planning framework; legislative action still needed before any class graduates under new standards.
Philadelphia's internal report finds phonics gaps, teacher buy-in challenges in $25M reading overhaul
A district-commissioned Year 1 evaluation of Philadelphia's K-8 EL Education curriculum found widespread concerns about phonics instruction, teacher preparedness, and support for struggling readers, while state test scores fell. The district has made adjustments; second-year results remain pending.
Boston launches AI literacy curriculum in 20 high schools, backed by $1M private grant
The spring 2026 announcement positions the district as the first major U.S. city to aim for all high school graduates to be proficient in AI, but the program is not yet a formal graduation requirement.
Ohio cuts graduation-qualifying credentials from 164 to 70, tightens bundling rules
The state eliminated credentials with low employer demand, using labor market data to shrink the list. The new system takes full effect for the Class of 2030.
Idaho requires Western Civilization in 8th grade, two credits each in American history and government
Signed April 10, 2026, Senate Bill 1336A mandates a full-year Western Civilization course by 2030, expands civics credits, adds communist atrocities curriculum, and delays the assessment to 2027-28. Its fiscal note asserts no new costs.
Carson City School District adopts broad curriculum opt-out policy with no definitions
Policy 106 expands opt-out beyond sex education to materials on 'sensitive personal topics,' but does not define the term or issue regulations. Board counsel says the changes are required by law but has not cited specific statutes.
Delaware 2026 Assessment Results Show Modest Gains; SAT Math Stagnates at 18% for Third Year
Grades 3-8 proficiency inches up 1 point each in ELA and math, but SAT math remains flat and achievement gaps persist far below pre-pandemic levels and state targets.
New York phases out Regents exam requirement, moves to competency-based diploma by 2029
The Board of Regents adopted the Portrait of a Graduate in July 2025. Regents exams will no longer be required for graduation starting Fall 2027, with full competency-based implementation for the 2029 cohort. The plan remains subject to regulatory approval.
Montezuma-Cortez district will strip Bible content from Texas reading curriculum after public outcry
The southwestern Colorado district adopted Houston ISD's Bluebonnet curriculum through a no-cost school improvement partnership, then pledged to remove religious lessons after the materials were reported.
Trump administration proposes replacing Head Start's 122-page standards with a dozen pages, deferring to states
A proposed rule would eliminate federal staff-child ratios, safety standards, and curriculum requirements, leaving most specifics to state licensing. The first deregulatory step, a proposed rule to remove wage and benefit rules, was published in May 2026.
Santa Fe schools pause state-mandated Amira reading software over voice data privacy
Santa Fe Public Schools halted a state-mandated AI reading assessment tool in late 2023, citing concerns about how student voice recordings are stored and shared.
NY Senate education chair introduces bill to ban humanoid robots from teaching roles after Salamanca pilot pause
State Sen. Shelley Mayer's S.10671 would prohibit AI-enabled humanoid robots from instruction, tutoring, and assessment. The bill requires districts to adopt policies on robot use. It follows the Salamanca district pausing its robot pilot after state education commissioner concerns.
Florida State Board Approves Uniform Weighted GPA and Mandatory Teacher-Prep Curricula
The State Board of Education passed rules for a statewide 5.0 weighted GPA scale and required core courses for teacher-preparation programs, including civil discourse, taking effect in 2026-27 for students and 2027 for programs.
Washington Board proposes overhaul of high school graduation requirements after decade
The state board's plan keeps the 24-credit diploma but shifts core credits to personalized pathways, drops exam-based graduation pathways, and adds financial education and civics requirements.
New Jersey students face months-long wait for graduation exam scores under new adaptive testing system
Spring 2026 results for NJGPA-Adaptive will not reach districts until late summer or fall, upending summer planning for remediation and alternative pathways; pass-rate gaps of 40 percentage points between wealthiest and poorest districts mean the disruption falls hardest on lower-income communities.