Educators and politicians in Texas have played significant roles in pushing early reading instruction from one extreme position to another through shifts in textbook adoption requirements. These policy actions are shaping a national curriculum for reading. The current study looks at changes in texts for beginning reading instruction that resulted from the Texas state mandates for more literature-based teaching practices and materials. It posited the following research questions: What are the general features of the first-grade pupil texts in the Year 2000 programs with respect to instructional design, accessibility, and engaging qualities?; and in terms of these features, how are the Year 2000 programs different from the programs approved in the Texas 1985 and 1993 adoption cycles? This report describes some of the ways in which these changes have influenced instructional practices. The report focuses on the Texas state basal reading adoption for the year 2000 and the impact of these new mandates on program features. It states that analysis of the data for the Year 2000 focused on the three major factors identified as theoretically important: instructional design, accessibility (decodability and predictability), and engaging qualities. Appended are: CIERA Text Analysis Variables; and Texas Education Agency Text Analysis Procedures. (Contains 1 figure, 13 tables, and 32 references.) (NKA)