Rep. Angie Chen Button of Garland.
Rep. Angie Chen Button (R-Garland) has joined the growing choir of voices on both sides of the aisle in the Texas Legislature calling on the state to take a pass on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam for the 2020-21 school year.
The STAAR tests were not administered in the spring as the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close suddenly. As a new school year approaches, many educators, parents and community members are calling for the Texas Education Agency to put the exams aside this school year as well.
Button, a Republican who represents the 112nd District in Dallas County, said it is the best option. She asked TEA Commissioner Mike Morath to suspend the tests, which are scheduled to resume.
“Our teachers and parents have stepped up to keep our Texas students on course with their studies as much as possible during this difficult time,” Button said in a statement released July 10. “However, we cannot ignore the massive disruption to our children's education the pandemic has caused. As the new school year quickly approaches, parents and educators are working to develop plans to safely and effectively educate students. They have enough on their plates without worrying about the high stakes associated with the STAAR test.
“I am requesting Commissioner Morath to hit pause on the STAAR test for the 2020-2021 school year as school districts work to get their footing and create a path to get all Texas students on track.”
Button added to her position in response to questions from Education Daily Wire.
“Our state faces big challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “We should not hold our students and teachers to pre-pandemic standards and then penalize them for failing to meet those standards while they are trying to gain their footing on shifting terrain. Even without the STAAR tests, the upcoming school year will be a challenge for many."
“While it will be difficult to ensure standards are being met and that our children are not falling behind, I believe in Texans,” Button said Wednesday. “I am confident that if we listen to each other and work together, we will find a solution that will be in the best interest of our children. I look forward to working with parents, teachers, administrators and students to find those solutions and chart a path forward.”
The Texas State Teachers Association also wants the STAAR tests set aside. TSTA President Noel Candelaria released a statement June 30 on the TEA decision to resume STAAR exams.
“We are in the middle of a health emergency," she said. "We don’t even know for sure what form education is going to take this fall, and the state education commissioner has announced that STAAR testing will resume. The Texas State Teachers Association has a better idea: Let’s continue the time out on STAAR testing.
“Standardized testing should be the last priority for students, educators and policymakers. There are other, much more crucial priorities for the state, beginning with a plan for safe schools, a plan for returning students, teachers and employees safely to classrooms, but only after the pandemic has begun to subside, not while COVID cases are still increasing."
She added, “Even under normal circumstances, STAAR exams waste millions of tax dollars, and that waste will be even more critical now that the state and school districts will be suffering millions of dollars in lost revenue from the pandemic. Our schools can’t afford the loss of more tax dollars on testing, and our students and educators can’t afford the distraction as they continue to adjust to new methods of teaching and learning. Let’s close the learning gap, not enrich testing companies.”
Button, who was elected to the Texas Legislature in 2008, serves on the House Committee on Higher Education. She is running for a seventh term this year. Her office did not respond to numerous requests for comment for this story.
Button, 66, was born in Taipei, Taiwan, and came to the United States when she was young. She was a graduate student in public finance and management services at the University of Texas at Dallas.
She became a certified public accountant and worked as marketing manager at Texas Instruments before retiring. Button and her husband Darcy Glen Button live in Garland.
Button said she is living “the American dream, Texas style.”
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