Improve Texas college readiness outcomes within existing systems.

Yes. The Texas Education Agency counts a graduate toward college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) when the student meets Texas Success Initiative (TSI) criteria in both reading and language arts and mathematics, and any of the three tests can be used. The benchmarks are 480 on SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 530 on SAT Math; for ACT tests taken on or after February 15, 2023, a combined 40 on ACT English and Reading and 22 on ACT Math; and on the TSIA2, an ELAR College Readiness Classification score of 945 with an essay score of 5 and a mathematics score of 950, or qualifying diagnostic results. Students may meet each subject on a different test.

One of the most direct levers is increasing the share of graduates who meet TSI criteria, because every student can earn it through the SAT, ACT, or TSIA2. Districts typically use assessment data to identify students close to each benchmark, build test preparation into courses students already take, schedule testing early enough to allow retakes, and track each student's status in reading and mathematics separately. ChalkTalk supports this with teacher-led SAT, ACT, and TSIA2 lessons, small-group work, adaptive practice, and skill-level reports that run inside existing class periods.

On March 26, 2026, the Texas Education Agency published changes that group CCMR indicators into three levels, Foundational, Demonstrated, and Advanced, starting with the graduating class of 2030, which feeds the 2031 A-F ratings. Meeting TSI criteria through the SAT, ACT, or TSIA2 counts as Demonstrated, including when a student combines scores from different tests. Meeting TSI through test scores plus potential college credit, such as a passed AP or IB exam or three hours of dual credit or OnRamps, counts as Advanced. The CCMR score will average the percentage of graduates at Foundational or above, at Demonstrated or above, and at Advanced. TEA has not yet finalized the 2031 cut points.

Yes, but at a lower level. Under the Texas Education Agency's 2031 framework, a student who meets TSI criteria in either subject through a college prep course is counted at Foundational, not Demonstrated. Districts can move those students to Demonstrated by helping them also meet the benchmark on the SAT, ACT, or TSIA2.

The CCMR Outcomes Bonus is state funding paid for each annual graduate above a set threshold who demonstrates college, career, or military readiness as defined for the bonus. According to the Texas Education Agency's 2026 guide, the thresholds are 11% of economically disadvantaged graduates and 24% of graduates who are not economically disadvantaged. Districts receive $5,000 for each qualifying economically disadvantaged graduate above the threshold, $3,000 for each qualifying graduate who is not economically disadvantaged, and $4,000 for each qualifying graduate enrolled in special education. The bonus is calculated separately from A-F ratings, and TEA states that the 2031 weighting changes do not affect it.

ChalkTalk gives teachers TEKS-aligned SAT, ACT, and TSIA2 lessons, small-group activities, adaptive practice, and practice tests they can use in courses already on the schedule, such as English III, Math Models, Algebraic Reasoning, College Prep ELA and math, AVID, WIN, and HB 1416 intervention. Skill-level reports show which reading and mathematics skills each class needs most. At Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD, 55% of students who took a one-day ChalkTalk TSIA2 bootcamp passed the test immediately afterward, according to the district's Director of College, Career, and Military Readiness.