Math & reading standards and testing in Texas
Updated June 2026
Texas never adopted Common Core and uses its own Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Students in grades 3-8 take the redesigned, online STAAR each spring (STAAR is slated to be phased out starting 2027-28).
Does Texas hold kids back in 3rd grade for reading?
No. Texas has no 3rd-grade retention gate; its Student Success Initiative promotion requirements apply to grades 5 and 8, not grade 3.
Standards
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Texas sets its own grade-level expectations rather than using Common Core, though the core math and reading skills are similar grade to grade.
The key test
The Texas state test
STAAR covers both math and reading in grades 3-8.
Reading the results
Spring, typically April to May.
Four levels: Did Not Meet, Approaches, Meets, Masters Grade Level.
On grade level generally means Meets Grade Level on STAAR; Approaches shows partial readiness.
What's distinctive about Texas
TEKS includes process standards, and Texas's promotion gates target grades 5 and 8 rather than 3rd-grade reading.
Practice the skills, by grade
Whatever Texas calls its test, the underlying math and reading skills are grade-level. Practice them directly:
Practice the skills behind the test
Texas writes its own standards. What a third grader has to do does not change: multiply, find the main idea, read a paragraph and say what it meant. KangarooKiddo drills those skills in daily sessions of a handful of questions that end on their own. You see where your kid actually stands, they earn rewards you set up and approve.
Source: Texas Department of Education. Verified for the 2025-26 school year; policies can change, so confirm with your school.