AUSTIN — More than 100,000 fifth and eighth graders last year failed the state exams in reading and math that are required to move on to the next grade.

Most of them probably advanced anyway.

State law bans social promotion, or the practice of allowing students to continue to the next grade regardless of their academic achievement. But few of the students who failed the test will actually repeat a grade because a provision in the law allowing local school officials to ignore exam performance after consulting with teachers and parents.

In the 2012-13 school year, the most recently available retention data, about 1.5 percent of fifth graders and 1 percent of eighth graders were held back in the 2013 school year. As many as 9 percent failed either their reading or math exams.

This year, another factor is also at play. In late August, Michael L. Williams, the Texas education commissioner, announced that because the state was moving to a new math curriculum, he would waive the requirement that fifth and eighth grade students pass their math exams to advance.