Changes to the STAAR Test
The annual mandatory STAAR test will soon be gone under a new law Gov. Greg Abbott signed Wednesday night. Public school students in third through eighth grades take the high-stakes standardized test each spring. Under the proposal, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness will be replaced by three smaller exams given throughout the year.
The changes will start in the 2027-28 school year. The legislation comes after a monthslong stalemate between the House and Senate over how to replace the STAAR. The test is widely unpopular with parents, teachers and students because of grading issues, transparency problems and other concerns.
“Parents should feel that, collectively, people at the Legislature are listening,” said Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, who has praised the reform efforts. “I hope they see a few of these changes are as a result of the input that so many of them have provided to us, and that we were able to provide to the Legislature.”
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Abbott named eliminating the test as one of his priorities for the special session. Here’s what to know about the changes coming to STAAR.
What is the STAAR test?
The end-of-year standardized tests assess public school students’ academic performance and how well they compare to grade-level expectations. Students take the tests in mathematics, reading language arts, science and social studies.
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 districts, including a takeover.
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Teachers in some districts are eligible for merit-based raises in part based on how their students perform on STAAR.
For high schoolers, passing these exams is a way to qualify for graduation.
Private school students do not have to take the STAAR test.
What will the new test look like?
Instead of taking an end-of-year test in a subject, public school students will take smaller tests at the beginning, middle and end of the school year.
Students will still test on math and reading from third to eighth grade, science in fifth and eighth grades, and social studies in eighth grade.
High schoolers will no longer have to pass the English II test to graduate. They will have to take end-of-course tests in algebra, biology, English I and U.S. history. Beginning and middle of the year testing in those topics will be optional.
The assessments should take students between an hour and two hours to complete, depending on grade level. Current STAAR exams are designed to take three hours.
Teachers won’t be able to give practice tests ahead of the assessments.
How will the changes impact families?
Teachers and parents will get students’ scores two days after the test — a drastic change from the weeks it typically takes for STAAR results to come back. They also will receive detailed diagnostic reports for each student, which will include recommendations on how to help each child improve based on performance.
Proponents of the redesign say this will give families and educators access to real-time data so they can tailor their strategies to improve kids’ learning.
The shorter exams should relieve pressure on students and will allow teachers to spend more time educating and less on rote test preparation, lawmakers and district officials say.
Dallas ISD plans to give parents more details about implementation later this year, Elizalde said.
Why was the STAAR test unpopular?
The STAAR test has drawn criticism from teachers, students and lawmakers who say the test puts pressure on students, eats up days of instructional time and doesn’t yield results for weeks.
“The current assessment and accountability system is complicated, lacks transparency, has minimal oversight and is not trusted by school leaders,” said Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, who sponsored the measure. “House Bill 8 addresses each of these shortcomings and creates statutory requirements to create a more fair, clear and trusted system.”
Opponents of the bill, including Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, argue it expands testing by tripling the number of exams students have to take.
“No parent has asked for this. No parent wants this, and I guarantee you by the time parents figure out what we have done, they will be so angry,” she said on the House floor earlier this month.
How will this impact schools’ A-F scores?
The academic accountability system, which is largely based on STAAR scores, evaluates how well schools are doing.
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Under the legislation, the Texas Education Agency will develop a way to measure student growth throughout the school year based on the three tests, and will incorporate that into how A-F grades are calculated.
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The changes to
