STAAR results: English courses rebound, others lag
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The Texas Education Agency recently released statewide results for the spring 2024 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test.
Why it matters: With the exception of English scores, Texas students haven't fully caught up to the pandemic's effects on education.
Driving the news: The STAAR results provide key insights into high school students' performance and readiness in algebra, English, biology and U.S. history, influencing decisions on curriculum, resource allocation and teacher development.
- Districts can choose to use test results as a measure for the Teacher Incentive Allotment, a merit program funded by the state.
- The state's A-F accountability system, which can influence property values and investment, also heavily relies on STAAR performance.
- High school seniors must pass all five STAAR tests to graduate.
How it works: STAAR testing happens toward the end of every school year.
- The test was redesigned for the 2022-2023 school year to be taken online.
- Results are broken down by overall scores and scores among economically disadvantaged, bilingual and special education students.
What they found: Statewide results show consistent "meets grade-level" achievement in algebra, biology and English 1.
- The amount of students meeting grade level for English II saw a 4% uptick from 2023.
- English I (54%) and English II (60%) exceeded the pre-pandemic meets rates of 49% and 51%, respectively.
- In U.S. History, there was a 2% decrease in the percentage of students meeting grade level.
Between the lines: There was an increase in the number of emergent bilingual students — those learning English but primarily speaking another language — meeting grade level across all subjects.
By the numbers: Roughly 40,000 tests were administered in Region 20, encompassing San Antonio.
- Alamo Heights, Boerne and Comal were the only districts of 14 San Antonio-area school districts that exceeded the state percentage for meets grade level in all subjects.
- Zoom in: From 86-88% of STAAR-takers in San Antonio ISD are economically disadvantaged, depending on the subject.
- The percentage of economically disadvantaged students who met grade level was consistently below the state average across all subjects.
What they're saying: Texas education commissioner Mike Morath celebrated the improvement in English II but recognized that more work is needed to restore averages to pre-pandemic levels.
- "These results emphasize the critical importance of continued investment in research-based education strategies to ensure every student in Texas has the support and resources they need to succeed," he said in a statement.
Intercultural Development Research Association — which focuses on improving education for Texas students, especially those from underserved communities — emphasizes valuing students beyond their test scores, the organization's deputy director of policy Chloe Latham Sikes tells Axios.
- "The rhetoric for schools that haven't had as high performance on STAAR results are seen as (places where) students are trapped or that the schools are failing when really, they've been chronically underfunded," Sikes says.
What's next: STAAR results for grades three through eight will be released Friday.
- Families can explore district and campus data here.