Changes to the STAAR Test

Texas lawmakers want to scrap the much-maligned STAAR test in favor of a series of shorter exams. The Legislature is considering House Bill 4, which would replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness with three tests spaced out between the start and end of the school year.

The STAAR test has drawn criticism from many Texas teachers and students, and lawmakers want to make standardized testing less painful. Changing the test would have a significant impact on students’ academic year, but could provide parents and educators with more useful information.

Background of the STAAR Test

This testing schedule would relieve pressure on students and allow teachers access to real-time data so they can tailor their strategies to improve kids’ learning, lawmakers said. The proposed changes come after years of criticism about the current STAAR regimen.

“There’s a clear desire for an assessment system that can be used to measure growth throughout the year, to better aid in the day-to-day educating of every Texas student,” bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said.

Controversies Surrounding the STAAR Test

Annual student testing is required by federal law. Texas’ academic accountability system — which grades every public school in the state on an A-F rating scale — is largely based on STAAR scores. Poor results can lead to consequences for school districts, including a state takeover.

Lawmakers acknowledged the stakes are high, and the education committee’s discussion of the bill stretched until early Wednesday morning.

The STAAR test is a favorite punching bag of many lawmakers, parents and teachers. Public school students must take the tests in various subjects beginning in the third grade.

Earlier this year, House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows threw his support behind “the elimination of the STAAR test.”

Burrows, the father of three boys in public school, said “high-stakes, one-time testing” is difficult for children to handle.

“We all deserve to have a bad day,” the Lubbock Republican said during a news conference.

Impact on Students and Teachers

For teachers, strong STAAR results can lead to merit-based salary increases. And for high schoolers, passing these exams is a way to qualify for graduation.

The current testing system is controversial for several reasons, including because it eats up days of instructional time and doesn’t yield results for weeks.

A group of school districts have also sued the Texas Education Agency in part because computers are used to grade students’ essay questions.

Many administrators recently noticed a large number of high schoolers scored zeroes on their written responses, and they blamed the use of artificial intelligence in scoring. Dallas ISD, for example, saw higher scores in about 40% of tests that district officials asked to be reexamined by humans.

Proposed Changes

DISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde was among the school leaders who praised the proposed changes, saying it would help restore trust in the state’s accountability system.

Education Commissioner Mike Morath has defended the validity of the STAAR test and how it is scored.

“It’s a test designed to test the state’s curriculum standards,” he said at a recent news conference. “Do you know your times tables, for example? And then that information is provided to parents and it’s provided to educators so that they can adjust accordingly.”

Test results should be more useful to parents and teachers, lawmakers said. The bill proposes a test taken in October, a middle-of-year assessment given around January and February and one for May.

Benefits of the Proposed Changes

The redesigned state test would provide “detailed diagnostic reports” for students, according to the legislation. These would include recommendations on how to help each child improve based on performance.

Almost immediately, “teachers will have them in their hands,” Buckley said. “That means parents will have them. It’ll create a better partnership between our teachers and our parents.”

James Cureton, assessments director in Tyler ISD, praised this idea.

“If we want to immediately intervene with our students, we need results immediately, and not four to six weeks afterwards like we get them now,” he said.

Elizalde agreed.

“It doesn’t help if parents and teachers get feedback after the student has already moved on to the next grade,” she said. “Just ask any parent or teacher, and they will tell you: That’s not accountability. That’s frustration.”

Conclusion

The test “must be designed to minimize the impact on student instructional time,” the bill states. The exams should not take most kids more than an hour and a half to complete.

District officials said this proposed model would allow teachers to spend more time on educating and less on rote test preparation.

Eighth grade social studies and high school U.S. history exams would be optional for school districts under the proposal.

The STAAR overhaul was designated a House priority this session, along with bills to increase funding for public schools and to create voucherlike education savings accounts, which would allow parents access to taxpayer money to pay for private school tuition.

Private school students do not have to take the STAAR test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the STAAR test?

A: The STAAR test is the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, a standardized test taken by public school students in Texas.

Q: Why is the STAAR test being changed?

A: The STAAR test has been criticized for being too long and not providing useful feedback to parents and teachers. Lawmakers want to make standardized testing less painful and provide more useful information.

Q: What are the proposed changes to the STAAR test?

A: The proposed changes include replacing the STAAR test with three shorter tests spaced out between the start and end of the school year, providing detailed diagnostic reports for students, and minimizing the impact on student instructional time.

Q: How will the proposed changes affect students and teachers?

A: The proposed changes are expected to relieve pressure on students, allow teachers to spend more time on educating and less on rote test preparation, and provide more useful feedback to parents and teachers.