This brief is organized into four (4) main sections. We first discuss the inadequacy, inefficacy, and bias of standardized, high-stakes assessments. These assessments do not deliver on promises made by proponents and that they, in fact, do long-term harm to teachers and students, with a disproportionate negative impact on communities of color. The second section identifies the (unintended) deleterious effects of these assessments on classroom instruction and curriculum. The third section of this brief introduces HB 1867, a bill that establishes a Texas Commission on Assessment and Accountability to make recommendations for a high-quality accountability system that moves beyond the costly, racist, reproductive, and punitive system that currently plagues the state, its students, and its educators. We conclude with recommendations for an amendment to HB 1867, which includes the development of a pilot program for districts to explore and develop a system of authentic assessments to replace STAAR.