COVID-19, social distasting, and synchronous versus asynchronous learning have continued to widen gaps in students' knowledge. Teachers have largely been responsible for closing those gaps with little to no additional resources, except for what new state mandates have in place such as House Bill 4545 in Texas. Previous research has shown that new initiatives, such as House Bill 4545, can cause teacher self-efficacy to lower due to poor implementation, explanation, and lack of resources. This study used a qualitative case study design and focused on Texas public middle school teachers. Using a questionnaire, personal interviews, and a focus group, to examine the impact of teachers' self-efficacy and the difference in implementation, it was found that the majority of participants felt that House Bill 4545 lowered their teacher self-efficacy. The difference in implementation only added issues such as mandating that teachers follow scripts word for word. While House Bill 1416 helped to solve some of the teachers' issues with House Bill 4545, the Texas Education Agency has yet to provide data showing that the bill is closing gaps in students' learning, continuing the negativity from teachers towards the bills. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]