Texas House passes bill to eliminate STAAR, replace with different testing program

The Texas House passed a bill to replace the high-stress STAAR test with three smaller tests spaced throughout the year. It could have trouble in the Senate as the end of session draws near.
Will Texas replace the STAAR test with three smaller tests?

The Texas House passed a bill to replace the high-stress STAAR test with three smaller tests spaced throughout the year. It could have trouble in the Senate as the end of session draws near.

What if the STAAR Bill gets through the Senate?

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.

Will STAAR be removed from the center of gravity?

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.

Does the STAAR test lead to anxiety?

The STAAR test “leads to anxiety in our classroom with our teachers, and it leads to absolutely no information that a parent can understand,” Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said on the House floor Monday. “Assessment should be instructionally relevant and actionable.”

What’s the gulf between Texas ‘STAAR’ and’staar’?

The gulf between the proposals is wide — one lawmakers will need to close in the final weeks of this year’s legislative session. Both the House and Senate versions of the legislation would swap the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, with a shorter test to free up time for more instruction.

When do STAAR results come out?

Currently the STAAR issues results six weeks after the students take the test in April. By that time, most students are out of school for the summer and school leaders say they can not act on the results from the assessment until the next school year.