After years of debate, lawmakers repeal and replace STAAR Test
A big change is coming to 5.5 million public school students across Texas. Beginning in 2027, the controversial STAAR test will be eliminated. The change follows a late-night vote in Austin on Wednesday.
Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the measure into law.
The vote came after a last-minute debate and fell largely along party lines.
An effort years in the making became reality Wednesday night.
“It’s not a perfect bill. We want to move the ball forward. I know you don’t want to make perfect the enemy of the good,” Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, told the bill’s author, Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado.
In a 79-47 vote, lawmakers took the last major step toward scrapping the widely criticized STAAR exam. But an intense debate erupted over the details.
“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.
Democrats voiced concerns that creating a new testing system would give too much authority to the Texas Education Agency.
Buckley and other Republicans argued that the proposal was better than the current system.
“House Bill 8 ends the high-stress, high-stakes nature of one test on one day,” said Buckley.
Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, students will instead take three smaller, “lower-stakes” tests. The first two, at the beginning and middle of the year, will compare students against each other. The third, approved by the state, will still be measured against curriculum standards.
All results must be returned to students and teachers within 48 hours.
A big change is coming to 5.5 million public school students across Texas. Beginning in 2027, the controversial STAAR test will be eliminated. The change follows a late-night vote in Austin on Wednesday.
Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the measure into law.
The vote came after a last-minute debate and fell largely along party lines.
An effort years in the making became reality Wednesday night.
“It’s not a perfect bill. We want to move the ball forward. I know you don’t want to make perfect the enemy of the good,” Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, told the bill’s author, Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado.
In a 79-47 vote, lawmakers took the last major step toward scrapping the widely criticized STAAR exam. But an intense debate erupted over the details.
“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.
Democrats voiced concerns that creating a new testing system would give too much authority to the Texas Education Agency.
Buckley and other Republicans argued that the proposal was better than the current system.
“House Bill 8 ends the high-stress, high-stakes nature of one test on one day,” said Buckley.
Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, students will instead take three smaller, “lower-stakes” tests. The first two, at the beginning and middle of the year, will compare students against each other. The third, approved by the state, will still be measured against curriculum standards.
All results must be returned to students and teachers within 48 hours.