Cheers erupted in the Texas House as a lawmaker told his colleagues it was time to eliminate the STAAR test.
“The stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas,” Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, told members on Monday. “But not the STAAR test.”
In a 143-1 vote, House members gave preliminary approval to a proposal that would eliminate the end-of-year test that’s loathed by many students and teachers and replace it with a series of shorter exams administered throughout the school year.
Doing so would give educators quick access to data that they can use to improve children’s learning sooner.
Related:Will Texas scrap the STAAR? Lawmakers debate replacing the test with three shorter exams
“A teacher can give an exam and have those results … within 24 hours,” Buckley said. “That way she’ll know that Brad is behind and Trey is ahead, and she can begin to make those decisions that need to be made as far as informing instruction.”
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 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, scores. Poor results can lead to consequences for school districts, including a state takeover.
Public school students must take the tests in various subjects beginning in the third grade. 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 myriad reasons, including because it eats up many days of instructional time and doesn’t yield results for weeks. Superintendents have raised concerns with the use of computers to score essay questions.
Related:Dallas ISD superintendent praises effort to eliminate STAAR
Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde is among the many Texas school leaders pushing for testing reform. At her recent State of the District address, she celebrated that Texas could be “standing on the precipice” of eliminating the STAAR test.
“I don’t know if it’ll happen this session,” the superintendent acknowledged. “But we’ve never been closer.”
If this bill gets through the Senate, students wouldn’t take STAAR next year.
In addition to eliminating the STAAR, House Bill 4 would change elements of the formula used to grade campuses via the Texas’ A-F academic accountability system, including by allowing for more metrics to be used beyond test scores.
Related:What are Texas’ A-F school grades, and why do they matter?
These suggested changes rankled several business and civic leaders, along with some education advocacy groups.
Jonathan Feinstein, Texas director of the education nonprofit EdTrust, wrote in a letter to lawmakers that he was concerned about the provision that reduces the weight the A-F formula assigns to how well schools close achievement gaps.
That metric looks at how schools do in educating children from different demographic groups, such as those living in poverty or receiving special education services.
“Rather than facing and addressing persistent socioeconomic and racial opportunity gaps head on, this change allows our public school system to ignore them and avoid directing resources to underserved students and communities,” he wrote.
Another provision could factor in nonacademic metrics within a school’s A-F grade, such as the percentage of students participating in school-sponsored extracurriculars and pre-kindergarten programs.
However, doing so would “inflate campus ratings and further obscure academic outcomes of students,” Feinstein wrote.
Buckley pushed back on criticism.
“I’ve not found a single school leader who does not want accountability,” he said ahead of Monday’s vote. “But it is time to rebuild trust in our system, and HB 4 does just that.”
Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, said House Bill 4 would remove STAAR from being “the center of gravity” during the school year. The bill proposes a test taken in October, a middle-of-year assessment given around January or February and one for May.
“The days of teaching to the test, if this passes, are over,” Bernal said. “What we’ve done here is create something that is much more of a tool than a test.”
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.
