Exit Tickets in the Post-HB 8 Era: The New Way to Progress Monitor
Texas has just taken a bold step with HB 8, banning test prep packets, local benchmark assessments, and STAAR practice tests. For decades, these practices consumed instructional time and distorted teaching, turning classrooms into test-prep factories. With HB 8, Texas signals a move away from compliance-driven accountability and back toward meaningful instruction.
So the question for teachers and administrators is: What comes next?
The answer lies in curriculum-driven exit tickets—short, daily checks for understanding that provide immediate, curriculum-embedded progress monitoring without sacrificing instructional time. Standardized across the grade level by lesson, exit tickets provide the data to drive instructionally supportive progress monitoring.
Why HB 8 Changes Everything
Benchmark testing and STAAR practice exams were never about instruction. They were about accountability systems, identifying “bubble kids,” and chasing incremental gains on one big test at the end of the year. They often provided little value to classroom teachers, who had already moved on from the content by the time results arrived.
HB 8 disrupts this decades-old cycle. Districts can no longer lean on periodic benchmark tests or purchased test-prep programs. Instead, they need real-time instructional tools that tell teachers what students know today so they can adjust tomorrow.
This is exactly what exit tickets were built for.
Why Exit Tickets Matter More Than Ever
An exit ticket is a brief, standards-aligned check for understanding given at the end of a lesson. It usually consists of 2–4 questions targeting the day’s objectives. Unlike benchmarks or practice tests, exit tickets:
- Deliver immediate, actionable data.
- Are tied directly to the curriculum being taught.
- Guide instruction for the very next class period.
- Require only a few minutes of classroom time.
In short, they are forward-looking, not backward-looking. That makes them the perfect replacement for the now-banned benchmarks.
AI + Classwork.com Make Exit Ticketing A Reality
For years, exit tickets were underused because they took time to write, grade, and analyze. Teachers were left with stacks of sticky notes, half-filled worksheets, or Google Forms to process.
Now, with AI and Classwork.com, exit tickets are effortless and transformative:
- Teachers (or district curriculum staff) click “Generate Exit Ticket” inside Classwork.com.
- AI instantly produces questions tied to the exact lesson or TEKS objective.
- Students complete the activity digitally in the last 5 – 10 minutes of class.
- Responses are autograded and tagged to standards.
- Teachers see results in real time on a dashboard—by student, class, and standard.
This workflow replaces the hours wasted on creating, grading, and analyzing benchmarks. Instead of waiting months for feedback, teachers get instant access to real-time progress monitoring data.
From Exit Tickets to Instructional Decisions
When used daily, exit tickets provide a powerful feedback loop:
- Identify misconceptions immediately. Teachers can reteach tomorrow instead of waiting for end-of-unit data.
- Spot trends across classrooms. Instructional leaders see patterns and can provide targeted coaching.
- Form flexible groups. Students can be grouped on the fly for enrichment or remediation.
- Track growth over time. Daily snapshots accumulate into a meaningful record of progress.
This is not just “formative assessment.” It’s progress monitoring at the heart of instruction—something benchmark testing never truly achieved.
Exit Tickets vs. Benchmarks: Why They Win
Administered 2–4 times per year | Administered daily or weekly |
Provide results weeks later | Provide instant results |
Broad, summative | Targeted, curriculum-aligned |
Used to sort and label students | Used to adjust instruction |
Emphasize accountability | Emphasize learning |
HB 8’s Opportunity: Instruction Over Test Prep
The real revolution in HB 8 isn’t just the banning of benchmarks. It’s the forced pivot to instructional tools that are designed for learning, not for chasing accountability ratings.
Districts will have to rethink the roles of assessment departments and invest in systems that keep teachers close to student data. Exit tickets, especially when powered by Classwork.com, are the logical replacement.
The New Norm: Curriculum-Driven Progress Monitoring
In the wake of HB 8, the days of STAAR practice packets and local benchmarks are over. But the need for progress monitoring has not disappeared—it’s grown. Teachers, schools, and districts need tools that give them actionable data every day, within the curriculum itself.
That’s why exit tickets deserve a second look. They’re quick, reliable, and instructionally embedded. And with Classwork.com, they’re now effortless: AI generates them, students complete them digitally, and teachers see the data instantly.
In the post-HB 8 era, exit tickets aren’t just a good idea. They’re the future of progress monitoring in Texas schools.