The Texas Senate passed House Bill 4 on Tuesday in a 23-8 vote, with lawmakers citing Houston ISD’s recent academic turnaround under Superintendent Mike Miles as an example of what’s possible with strong accountability.
The bill, authored by Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado) and sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), reinstates the state’s annual A-F accountability ratings for public schools and replaces the STAAR exam with a new assessment model designed to better support classroom instruction.
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Sen. Bettencourt pointed to Houston ISD’s progress under Miles, noting a 66% drop in D and F campuses and nearly double the number of A and B-rated campuses in the district.
“Texas’ constitutionally required accountability system will be protected by putting an end to taxpayer-funded lawsuits to ensure the focus remains on students, not lawfare,” Bettencourt said. “It’s about securing the future of public education in Texas.”
Senator Bettencourt said that what gets measured gets fixed, but you can’t fix what you can’t measure.
“HB 4 ensures accountability ratings are released clearly, fairly, and with purpose to measure performance, report results, and help schools improve heads back to the House.”
Since the adoption of the A-F system through HB 22, legal challenges have affected its implementation. Ratings were first released to the public in 2019. The 2022 ratings were issued on time, though campuses receiving D and F grades were designated as “Not Rated.” In 2023, nearly 100 school districts filed suit to block the release of that year’s ratings, which were ultimately issued in 2025 after delays.
HB 4 also prohibits school districts from using taxpayer dollars on lawsuits to block the release of accountability ratings, a response to recent legal challenges by dozens of districts statewide.
The bill now heads back to the Texas House for final approval.