Legislative Red Alert: Tell lawmakers to abolish the STAAR, not rebrand it

Instead of listening to the pleas of parents and educators to abolish STAAR testing, Texas lawmakers are attempting to rebrand STAAR testing in partnership with lobbyist organizations that have long praised high-stakes standardized testing.

For decades, parents and educators have asked state leaders to reform high-stakes standardized testing, yet lawmakers continue to rebrand and expand the same testing that provides unnecessary stress on students and families. In a new bill advancing through the Texas Capitol as part of the ongoing special session, lawmakers invited testimony from lobbyist organizations such as Texas 2036, which has long praised the STAAR test. In fact, dozens of articles on the Texas 2036 website from the past three years support STAAR testing despite widespread opposition from Texans. House education committee Chairman Brad Buckley and Senate education committee Chairman Brandon Creighton filed identical bills in line with the requests of such lobbyists to retain high-stakes standardized testing similar to STAAR at the end of each school year as a requirement for grade-level advancement.

During the regular session, Chairman Buckley partnered with educators to create transformative legislation that would have replaced STAAR testing with low-stress tests modeled after MAP testing, which districts across Texas already use, including Northwest ISD. This system was designed to result in far fewer tests, taking far less time, while measuring student knowledge of subjects throughout the year as well as how they perform compared to peers nationwide. Most importantly, it would provide results in a format that allows teachers to personalize learning for each student.

Under the proposed system now advancing through the Texas Legislature, only year-end testing would count, retaining the high-stakes nature of standardized testing. After lawmakers implemented norm-referenced testing requirements such as MAP for private schools that accept vouchers, they are now proclaiming that public school students should not be afforded the same stress-free testing environment as their private school peers.