The STAAR test is designed to measure a student’s proficiency at each tested grade, subject and course.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas House lawmakers voted to move forward with a bill to eliminate the STAAR test on Thursday.
The House Public Education Committee voted to advance House Bill 8, which would replace the STAAR test with three shorter tests created by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, more commonly known as the STAAR test, is designed to measure a student’s proficiency at each tested grade, subject and course, according to the TEA.
If HB 8 becomes law, students at state public schools would take the three replacement tests at the beginning, middle and end of each school year. The test at the end of the year would be the only mandatory one.
During the Public Education Committee meeting on Thursday, State Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) said she feels like replacing the STAAR test only creates more testing for kids.
“It does not reduce testing to only what is federally required,” Hinojosa said. “Texas is going above and beyond what the feds require of us. This is what no parent wants. No parent wants more testing.”
Committee Chairman State Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado) pushed back on Hinojosa’s comments, saying this is the exact same number of tests that were outlined in House Bill 4, which the House approved during the regular legislative session but later died in the Senate.
Buckley said school leaders he’s spoken with across the state agree with the change.
“They certainly believe that this system that is outlined in House Bill 8 is a step in the right direction to make certain, that we actually decrease the amount of tests,” Buckley said. “We found districts that were giving 10 to 16 exams or benchmark assessments of some kind.”
HB 8 now goes to the full House for consideration. The Senate’s version of the bill was also voted out of committee and is awaiting consideration from the full Senate.