Bill to Replace STAAR Dies After Deadline Lapses

A long-promised bill to overhaul the state’s standardized testing system failed over the weekend, just before the end of the legislative session.

House Bill 4 would have replaced the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness with three smaller tests administered throughout the year, designed to be less time-consuming for teachers and students and offer a more accurate portrait of comprehension over the course of the school year.

Drafted by Salado Republican Rep. Brad Buckley, the chair of the House Education Committee, with bipartisan support, the bill was a top priority for lawmakers this session.

STAAR, which uses those standardized tests to grade schools and districts on an A-F lettering system, has been a longstanding frustration for school districts and legislators on both sides of the aisle. Teachers have criticized it for eating into their actual curriculum and taking away from actual education while also failing to accurately convey how their students are performing.

Despite deep bipartisan support, lawmakers from both chambers entered closed-door conference committee negotiations over the weekend but missed a key legislative deadline, functionally killing the bill, according to the Texas Tribune.

This is a developing story. It will be updated with more information.