Opening the Texas Market to Competition
Reforming laws that protect monopolies.
- Related Services:
- Policy Development
- , Lobbying
- , Coalition Building
“Exemplary work product and effort. They far exceeded our expectations and the results are clear.” – Noah Tyler, Chief Strategy Officer at Classic Learning Initiatives
The Problem
Texas’ market for college entrance exams was closed to competition. For 20 years, Texas public universities have only been allowed to accept test scores from two incumbent vendors that had grown stale. This privileged position was defended by tapping into annual revenues of about $1.5 billion which was the result of a duopoly. As a result, when launched a decade ago to offer a gold standard college entrance exam, the Classic Learning Test (CLT) had virtually no access to public institutions in the second-largest education market in America. By state law, public institutions could not adopt CLT for admissions purposes.
Our Approach
In spring 2024, we started laying the groundwork to amend the law to open the college testing marketplace, which would not be easy. In addition to statutory and political barriers, CLT lacked brand awareness and the political recognition that goes along with it. In Texas, CLT was unknown. To overcome this, we connected CLT staff with policymakers, but frequent meetings were untenable because the company is based on the East Coast. In response, our team created on-brand / on-message communication products and delivered them to state leaders. This ensured that CLT’s mission, products, and services would be described faithfully in every legislative briefing. We delivered this message to external stakeholders and won allies among advocacy organizations, accrediting bodies, and think tanks, as well as public and private universities and PreK-12 schools.
Then, we drafted recommended bill text and briefed policymakers. Legislative champions Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson and Sen. Mayes Middleton sharpened the arguments, refined the policy into SB 1241, and earned the support of several joint authors: Reps. Matt Shaheen and Joanne Shofner as well as Sens. Brett Hagenbuch and Adam Hinojosa. In 2026, these champions wrote in support of CLT: “We encourage THECB to recognize the Classic Learning Test (CLT) for college admissions in Texas. CLT poses a rigorous challenge to students…. Our children will rise or fall to the standard to which we hold them. For too long, education standards have declined. We must reestablish the highest standard of excellence to preserve Texas’ leadership in the nation and world.”
Paving the Way to Success
Of course, the duopolists tried to gut or kill the legislation; a protectionist market always favors incumbent actors. Our job was to equip legislative champions to correct misinformation and fight off bad amendments. Our rapid response kept legislation on-track. Throughout the legislative session, we met with policymakers, including the Offices of the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker. CLT’s executive leadership attended the highest-impact in-person meetings, travelling to Austin only three times before and during legislative session. Company directors oversaw weekly progress remotely. In other words, our team enabled the company to focus on its core business and serving customers, rather than on the labyrinthine policymaking process. In September 2025, the law changed and our client entered the market less than one year later.
In 2 years, we helped our client create a dynamic, competitive market in Texas.
