Texas Through-Year Assessment: The TTAP Pilot and the Path to 2027
The TTAP Initiative
The Texas Through-Year Assessment Pilot (TTAP) is part of the state’s long-term plan to redesign accountability by 2027.
Developed under the Texas Education Agency (TEA), TTAP reimagines testing as a support for learning rather than an interruption. It reflects TEA’s broader philosophy of “instructionally supportive” systems.
What “Instructionally Supportive” Means
In Texas policy language, an instructionally supportive assessment is one that:
- Integrates naturally with curriculum and instruction.
- Provides meaningful feedback for teachers and students.
- Minimizes redundant testing.
- Encourages learning growth rather than test prep.
This shift was reinforced by House Bill 8 (2023), which banned repetitive benchmark testing and required new models of progress monitoring.
TTAP’s Design
TTAP currently operates in select pilot districts, using:
- Shorter, embedded assessments throughout the school year.
- Scaling models that aggregate results into an end-of-year growth score.
- Formative feedback dashboards for teachers and administrators.
These assessments provide data on progress and mastery while reducing testing time.
A Redesign Year for Accountability
The 2026–27 school year will mark a redesign year for the Texas accountability system. The goal is to align metrics with the Effective Schools Framework (ESF), which identifies instruction as the primary driver of student outcomes.
Districts must shift their focus from compliance to daily instructional quality—a transition that requires tools capable of turning data into action.
Benchmark and Test-Prep Bans
Under HB 8, districts are restricted from administering repetitive benchmark tests or excessive test-prep programs.
The intent is to reclaim instructional time and direct resources toward meaningful practice and feedback—the kind that Classwork.com supports through standard-aligned autograded assignments and mastery tracking.
Instructionally Supportive Technology
TTAP produces three data points per year. But growth happens in between.
Platforms like Classwork.com provide the missing layer: daily formative data that tracks standard-level mastery and supports reteaching immediately after misconceptions appear.
Through-year systems measure progress; instructionally supportive systems build it.
Conclusion
TTAP positions Texas at the forefront of through-year innovation. As the state prepares for 2027, it’s redefining what assessment means—moving from evaluation to collaboration.
Texas’s model emphasizes what matters most: instruction that supports growth every day.
Classwork.com is ready for that future—giving districts the data infrastructure needed to make instructionally supportive assessment a reality.
References
- Texas Education Agency. (2022). Through-Year Assessment Pilot (TTAP) Overview. https://tea.texas.gov
- Texas Legislature. (2023). House Bill 8 Summary. https://capitol.texas.gov
- Texas Education Agency. (2023). Effective Schools Framework. https://tea.texas.gov/ESF
- Center for Assessment. (2024). Instructionally Supportive Assessment Systems.
This article is part of The Future of Instructionally Supportive Assessment white paper. Read the full series here.