Texas lawmakers propose scrapping the STAAR test in favor of three much shorter exams

AUSTIN – The Houston Chronicle reports House lawmakers are proposing to replace the state’s annual STAAR exams with a series of tests given throughout the year under a plan they say would reduce the exams’ high-stakes nature and relieve pressure on students. The widely-criticized State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests would be scrapped in favor of three much shorter tests given at the start, middle, and end of each school year, according to draft legislation released on Tuesday. The plan would mark the most dramatic redesign of the state’s tests since STAAR was established for public and charter school students in 2011.

State Rep. Diego Bernal, a San Antonio Democrat who authored the bill, said having multiple short tests makes the purpose less about grading a student’s learning each year, and more about diagnosing any problem areas and improving them over time. It also means teachers and schools can be better evaluated on student improvement in between tests, he said, rather than just raw performance scores. “We’re not just teaching to the test anymore, we’re allowing teachers to shift and give individualized calibration and attention to students,” Bernal said. “You see the starting point, what kind of progress they’ve made, and how they are doing at the end.” House Bill 4 is up for its first public hearing Tuesday afternoon in the House education committee, whose chair, Republican state Rep. Brad Buckley, is the bill’s primary author. It is a priority bill for House Speaker Dustin Burrows and comes as part of a wider education package that includes vouchers for private schools and a boost in funding for public schools.