As part of the 89th Legislature’s special session agenda, Governor Greg Abbott is once again calling on lawmakers to replace the STAAR test with more effective tools to measure student learning and progress. This move follows a broader push from educators and parents to reform how Texas assesses academic performance in public schools.
During the regular session, House Bill 4 sought to eliminate the single high-stakes STAAR exam and introduce a new system of assessments administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. The bill also aimed to revise the current A–F accountability system, in place since 2012, which many critics argue oversimplifies school performance. While the House passed the bill, it stalled in the Senate due to differing views on how best to approach education reform.
“All is not to overtest students, it’s really just to get that information at the beginning, middle and end of the year to better support the student, and also at the end of the year to make sure that we are serving our students, we are helping them meet this grade level expectations,” said Bridget Worley, Chief State Impact Officer at Commit Partnership, to Fox 7 Austin.
Even though the bill did not pass, the Texas Education Agency is already piloting a possible alternative: the Texas Through-Year Assessment Pilot (TTAP), set to be evaluated in the upcoming school year. Parents and educators remain hopeful that these changes could shift the focus from high-stakes outcomes to real academic growth over time.
