Overhaul of STAAR test in Texas advances in House, faces uncertain future in Senate
The Texas House last Monday Take a walk on the wild side with HB 4, a bill aiming to scrap the STAAR test, the high-stakes standardized exam that the state and school districts utilize to gauge student progress and teacher performance.
Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, fired up on the House floor, pointed out that the STAAR test brings unnecessary stress to the classroom, neither providing parents with digestible information nor offering instructionally relevant and actionable insights. "Assessment should be instructionally relevant and actionable," Buckley asserted.
With a near unanimous vote in its favor, HB 4 has a rocky road ahead in the Senate, as the upper chamber has distinct ideas on how to overhaul the state's standardized test and school evaluation system largely reliant on that test's results. The chasm between the proposals is vast – bridging this gap will be a significant challenge in the final weeks of this legislative session.
Representing both chambers, the bills share a common goal of replacing the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) with a condensed exam to grant more time for instruction. Students would be examined at the start, midpoint, and end of the academic year, permitting educators to utilize test results to identify areas for enhancement and tailor their lesson plans accordingly. Additionally, the proposals touch upon the state's method for calculating school and district ratings[1].
The two chambers had identical versions of the legislation at the session's outset. The Senate passed its proposal last month. Meanwhile, the House reworked theirs significantly following public testimony and private deliberations between school authorities expressing their lack of faith in the state's accountability and examination systems.
"It is high time to cement trust in our system, and HB 4 does precisely that. Assessments must inform teaching in real-time," Buckley declared. "We need to reduce testing to a simple school day."
Notable to the House bill, but absent in the Senate's, students would be graded based on their national peers' performance. Advocates of this change argue it would serve as a more reliable benchmark. Critics, on the other hand, caution this approach may cover whether Texas students have met grade-level proficiency standards.
The STAAR test has long been criticized for its excessive stringency, failing to accurately mirror grade-level standards, and consuming valuable classroom time without enhancing teaching methods[2].
"The current school accountability system in Texas does not function. Students are over-tested, and teachers are overburdened," Nikki Cowart, the president of the Cy-Fair district's chapter of American Federation of Teachers, declared before lawmakers last month. "Our school districts have suffered penalties due to erroneous and arbitrary standards given unfair and unreliable testing data."
The two chambers propose differing timelines for implementing the legislation, with the House wanting students to attempt the new exam as early as this autumn, while the Senate grants the Texas Education Agency until 2028 to develop the new assessment[1].
Students' STAAR performance plays a pivotal role in the state's evaluations of school districts and individual campuses, graded on an A-F scale every year. Poor ratings may result in state intervention, such as a state takeover[1].
The legislation addresses how school performance ratings are computed. This move comes after school performance ratings were stalled in court for two years consecutively. Districts sued the state due to the Texas Education Agency implementation of changes affecting their rating too quickly, providing an inaccurate reflection of their performance[1].
Under HB 4, the TEA commissioner would require legislative approval for major alterations to the rating system. The House proposal also incorporates additional metrics determining A-F scores, such as the number of teachers completing math and literacy training and the percentage of students completing workforce training courses[1].
Districts could still challenge rating changes through litigation, but the House bill establishes a speedy court process for resolving such disputes to prevent them from impacting the release of ratings.
Meanwhile, Senate Bill 1962 reinforces the TEA commissioner's authority to determine school performance rating calculations and makes it challenging for districts to challenge changes in the performance ratings system, potentially facing heightened TEA scrutiny and limits on legal fees[4]. The Senate also largely delegates setting standards for school performance to the TEA, requiring only that the agency study college and career readiness indicators[3].
This article previously featured in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/12/texas-staar-test-school-accountability-bill/.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
[1] https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/12/texas-staar-test-school-accountability-bill/[2] https://www.chron.com/education/article/Senate-passes-bill-to-curb-high-stakes-STAAR-testing-17249735.php[3] https://www.senate.texas.gov/business-paper/87r/senate/bill-text/SR0008.pdf[4] https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/20/texas-house-bill-4-tracking-stance[5] https://www.houstonchronicle.com/education/article/Bill-proposes-fast-track-court-for-school-district-17229891.php
- The Texas House and Senate have proposed different bills aiming to reform the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, with both aiming to provide more time for education and self-development.
- Rep. Brad Buckley, a proponent of education reform, argues that assessments should be instructionally relevant and actionable, and that the current STAAR test does not meet these criteria.
- One notable difference between the House and Senate bills is that the House bill proposes grading students based on their performance compared to national peers, while the Senate bill does not.
