Area schools get state test results
During the last two weeks, the Texas Education Agency released its Spring 2025 results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, commonly known as STAAR, for grades three to 12.
A requirement for Texas public and charter school students, the STAAR gauges End-of-Course performance in Algebra I, Biology, English I and II and U.S. History for grades nine to 12, with the addition of eighth grade students already enrolled in Algebra I. Students in grades three to eight are tested in reading and mathematics, fifth and eighth graders both take a STAAR science assessment, and only eighth graders test in social studies.
The state saw overall improvement in reading, science and mathematics for the elementary and middle school grades. In high school, scores improved in Biology and Algebra I but experienced slight declines in the other subjects.
While U.S. History STAAR scores flagged statewide, area high schools Taylor, Hutto, Thrall and Granger, achieved more than 90% of students meeting grade level or above in history with Thrall and Granger leading the districts with 76% and 69% of students, consecutively, mastering the subject.
Taylor, Hutto, Granger and Thrall high schools also had strong scores in Biology, but seventh grade mathematics seemed to be a weak spot for Taylor, Hutto and Granger school districts with consecutive scores not meeting grade level at 72%, 62% and 50%.
Taylor Independent School District was prepared for this outcome. In the last three school board meetings, discussions over math scores were held with plans put in place to address the struggles, including offering an extra incentive to new-hire math teachers for its secondary schools.
During the June school board meeting for Coupland Independent School District, Superintendent Earl Parcell presented trustees with graphs created by TEA that demonstrated student growth.
Parcell said that while not all scores may have been where the district would have liked them to be — 100% of Coupland eighth graders met grade level or above in Algebra I, yet 73% didn’t meet expectations in social studies – every student experienced an increase in educational growth.
Megan Zembik, chief academic officer, at Taylor ISD echoed Parcell.
“Preliminary STAAR results show promising growth across Taylor ISD, with all campuses demonstrating academic increases. Our elementary and middle schools saw especially notable gains in student growth, while our high school continues to show positive trends in College, Career and Military Readiness and graduation rate,” Zembik said.
Thrall Independent School District Superintendent Tommy Hooker praised the efforts of Thrall teachers and the diligence of its students as he reviewed and compared Thrall’s STAAR scores against the state’s.
“I’m pleased with the passing rate for our students and the significantly higher performance on the “Meets and Approaches” categories of each test taken,” Hooker said. Earlier in the year, Thrall ISD made a list of the state’s top-performing schools.
In May, the House passed HB4 to replace STAAR with another assessment offering shorter yet more frequent testing. The Senate opted for its own version of the bill.
Although both the House and Senate cited STAAR as detracting from necessary classroom instruction and causing too much stress and disruption to students, the legislative session ended before they could reach an agreement regarding an alternative exam.
For more information about STAAR testing and district scores, visit tea.texas.gov/studentassessment/ staar. Parents can access their child’s individual scores through the school district portal or at TexasAssessment. gov using an access code provided by the child’s school.
“
I’m pleased with the passing rate for our students and the significantly higher performance on the ‘Meets and Approaches’ categories of each test taken.”
— Tommy Hooker, Thrall Independent School District Superintendent
