Relating to the use of interim testing and adaptive, growth-based assessment instruments for certain required assessments of public school students and prohibiting the use of the results of certain required assessments of public school students for certain purposes.

HB 159 prohibits using results from certain state-mandated student assessments as the sole factor in teacher evaluations or pay decisions. It also allows Texas school districts to adopt or develop "adaptive, growth-based" assessments - measuring individual student progress over time and adjusting difficulty during testing - for interim testing, provided a federal waiver is secured. These alternative assessments must be administered statewide as interim tests, with results combined into a single score per student. The bill directly affects public school students (through assessment methods), teachers (in evaluation processes), and school districts (in testing administration).