Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that repeals the STAAR test and replaces it with 3 smaller tests taken throughout the year in Texas.

Highlights:

• Requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA), instead of the State Board of Education (SBOE), to create and implement a statewide assessment program that is (Art. 1):

• Provided for progress monitoring;

• Balanced, innovative, and streamlined; and

• Based on essential knowledge and skills adopted by the SBOE.

• Requires the assessment program to be designed to do the following (Art. 1):

• Provide information on student academic achievement and learning progress to public schools, students, parents, teachers, and education researchers;

• Evaluate the achievement level and learning progress of each student in reading language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies;

• Provide information to TEA to assist in decision making regarding public school accountability, campus recognition, and improvement of operations and management;

• Identify the educational strengths and needs of individual students and those students’ readiness to move forward in their schooling;

• Assess whether educational goals and curricular standards are being met;

• Provide information to evaluate and develop educational programs and policies; and

• Provide instructional staff with information on student achievement that may be used to improve the delivery of instruction.

• Requires the TEA to transition the program for assessment administered under the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) program to that established by this Act by the 2027-2028 school year (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA commissioner to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a public higher education institution to study and determine whether the new assessment program is appropriate to the students of each grade level that it will be provided to (Art. 1).

• Repeals previous rules set by the SBOE on the administration of state assessment instruments, and requires the TEA to adopt new guidelines, including on the return time of assessment results to school districts (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA to make individual state assessment results available to parents via a “one click” method on a website controlled by the TEA (Art. 1).

• Specifies that for state assessment instruments that are intended to reflect student academic growth, tests must be administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the academic year (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA to design state assessments with accommodations for students in a special education program, and to offer assessments in Spanish for emergent bilingual students (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA to adopt procedures to reduce total assessment administration time and minimize impact on student instructional time so that (Art. 1):

• Each beginning or middle of year assessment instrument administered to students in third and fourth grade should take no more than 60 minutes for students who do not require accommodations;

• Those assessments for students in fifth through eighth grade should take no more than 75 minutes;

• Each end of year assessment instrument administered to students in third and fourth grade should take no more than 90 minutes for students who do not require accommodations; and

• Those assessments for students in fifth through eighth grade should take no more than 105 minutes.

• Requires the TEA to notify schools and school districts of assessment results within two business days after the end of the schedule window, and release the questions and answer keys for end of year assessments after the last test is administered for that school year (Art. 1).

• Requires the education commissioner to establish procedures that include instructions to help mitigate student test anxiety (Art. 1).

• Establishes the following goals for the 15th year after the date that the education commissioner modifies the performance goals and state standards for state assessments (Art. 2):

• Eliminate achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; and

• Ensure Texas ranks nationally in the top five states in preparing students for postsecondary success and on the National Assessment of Education Progress.

• Requires the education commissioner to increase the scores needed to achieve performance standards every fifth school year (Art. 2).

• Requires the TEA, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission to jointly develop a list of industry certifications that are eligible to count towards the student achievement domain, to prepare students for high-wage, high-skill, in-demand occupations (Art. 2).

• Requires the education commissioner to establish an accountability advisory committee to advise the commissioner and the TEA on the adoption and modification of performance standards and indicators (Art. 2).

• Repeals the prohibition for a school or school district to receive an exemption or waiver from a requirement relating to participation in a University Interscholastic League competition (Art. 4).

• Authorizes the administration of a state assessment in paper format at the request of a parent, guardian, or teacher (Art. 4).

• Authorizes school districts and charter schools to consider religious holy days or periods of observance likely to be observed by students in choosing an assessment administration window (Art. 4).

• Specifies that the provisions of this Act, unless otherwise provided, would apply beginning with the 2027-2028 school year (Art. 5).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that repeals the STAAR test and replaces it with 3 smaller tests taken throughout the year in Texas.

Highlights:

• Requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA), instead of the State Board of Education (SBOE), to create and implement a statewide assessment program that is (Art. 1):

• Provided for progress monitoring;

• Balanced, innovative, and streamlined; and

• Based on essential knowledge and skills adopted by the SBOE.

• Requires the assessment program to be designed to do the following (Art. 1):

• Provide information on student academic achievement and learning progress to public schools, students, parents, teachers, and education researchers;

• Evaluate the achievement level and learning progress of each student in reading language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies;

• Provide information to TEA to assist in decision making regarding public school accountability, campus recognition, and improvement of operations and management;

• Identify the educational strengths and needs of individual students and those students’ readiness to move forward in their schooling;

• Assess whether educational goals and curricular standards are being met;

• Provide information to evaluate and develop educational programs and policies; and

• Provide instructional staff with information on student achievement that may be used to improve the delivery of instruction.

• Requires the TEA to transition the program for assessment administered under the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) program to that established by this Act by the 2027-2028 school year (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA commissioner to enter into a memorandum of understanding with a public higher education institution to study and determine whether the new assessment program is appropriate to the students of each grade level that it will be provided to (Art. 1).

• Repeals previous rules set by the SBOE on the administration of state assessment instruments, and requires the TEA to adopt new guidelines, including on the return time of assessment results to school districts (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA to make individual state assessment results available to parents via a “one click” method on a website controlled by the TEA (Art. 1).

• Specifies that for state assessment instruments that are intended to reflect student academic growth, tests must be administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the academic year (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA to design state assessments with accommodations for students in a special education program, and to offer assessments in Spanish for emergent bilingual students (Art. 1).

• Requires the TEA to adopt procedures to reduce total assessment administration time and minimize impact on student instructional time so that (Art. 1):

• Each beginning or middle of year assessment instrument administered to students in third and fourth grade should take no more than 60 minutes for students who do not require accommodations;

• Those assessments for students in fifth through eighth grade should take no more than 75 minutes;

• Each end of year assessment instrument administered to students in third and fourth grade should take no more than 90 minutes for students who do not require accommodations; and

• Those assessments for students in fifth through eighth grade should take no more than 105 minutes.

• Requires the TEA to notify schools and school districts of assessment results within two business days after the end of the schedule window, and release the questions and answer keys for end of year assessments after the last test is administered for that school year (Art. 1).

• Requires the education commissioner to establish procedures that include instructions to help mitigate student test anxiety (Art. 1).

• Establishes the following goals for the 15th year after the date that the education commissioner modifies the performance goals and state standards for state assessments (Art. 2):

• Eliminate achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; and

• Ensure Texas ranks nationally in the top five states in preparing students for postsecondary success and on the National Assessment of Education Progress.

• Requires the education commissioner to increase the scores needed to achieve performance standards every fifth school year (Art. 2).

• Requires the TEA, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the Texas Workforce Commission to jointly develop a list of industry certifications that are eligible to count towards the student achievement domain, to prepare students for high-wage, high-skill, in-demand occupations (Art. 2).

• Requires the education commissioner to establish an accountability advisory committee to advise the commissioner and the TEA on the adoption and modification of performance standards and indicators (Art. 2).

• Repeals the prohibition for a school or school district to receive an exemption or waiver from a requirement relating to participation in a University Interscholastic League competition (Art. 4).

• Authorizes the administration of a state assessment in paper format at the request of a parent, guardian, or teacher (Art. 4).

• Authorizes school districts and charter schools to consider religious holy days or periods of observance likely to be observed by students in choosing an assessment administration window (Art. 4).

• Specifies that the provisions of this Act, unless otherwise provided, would apply beginning with the 2027-2028 school year (Art. 5).

Full Bill Text