Local districts have mixed reactions
Local school districts are both applauding and decrying the Legislature’s decision to erase the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam and replace it with three smaller standardized tests.
After years of debate, lawmakers Sept. 3 passed House Bill 8, which calls for a trio of shorter assessments to be administered at the beginning, middle and end of each school year, starting in the 2027-28 academic cycle.
The bill also upholds the A-F grading or school accountability ratings for districts.
The first two tests rate students against their peers and the end-of-year test measures student performance against curriculum standards.
Taylor Independent School District Superintendent Jennifer Garcia-Edwardsen said educators are eager to see how students and educators adapt to the change.
“While still in the early stages of implementation, we await guidance from the Texas Education Agency on how the new tests will impact students, teachers and future accountability ratings,” Garcia-Edwardsen said.
Superintendent Tommy Hooker of the Thrall Independent School District holds a less-optimistic view.
“It’s not really the elimination of STAAR. It’s the exact opposite, adding more tests and a whole lot more steps,” Hooker told trustees at a recent school board meeting.
Critics of the three tests say the new system potentially creates a conflict of interest within the Texas Education Agency, the state body that will administer the tests but also take over school districts that repeatedly fail to improve testing data.
“The TEA has not proven reliable when it comes to making the test, and here we are giving the TEA more power,” said Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, in a previous statement.
The bill’s author, Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, argued that HB 8 puts an end to the “high-stress, high-stakes” nature of the STAAR test.
Granger and Hutto superintendents Stephen Brosch and Jeni Neatherlin echoed Buckley in the use of “high stakes” to describe STAAR.
“Data shows that (a) high stakes, all-in-one test isn’t good for kids,” Brosch said.
Neatherlin noted the move away from STAAR marks a big shift in how student progress will be measured.
“Instead of one highstakes exam, students will take shorter assessments throughout the year that give teachers more timely feedback,” Neatherlin said.
Officials have said test results could be available in as little as two days, much faster than the STAAR.
Brosch added if TEA can deliver on the instant feedback, it will be of crucial importance and assistance for teachers and specialists.
“At the end of the day when we gauge our kids, we need to see where the students’ needs are to be able to help them,” Brosch said.
