TEA Commissioner Mike Morath.
State Sen. Beverly Powell (D-Burleson) is the latest politician to speak in support of waiving the academic accountability ratings of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) requirement even though the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced last month that the exam would be reinstated for the 2020-21 school year.
In a tweet on Twitter, Powell said she sent a letter to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and Gov. Greg Abbott, urging them to set clear benchmarks for a safe return to school, prepare for the reality of remote learning and cancel the STAAR tests.
“We cannot send Texas students and teachers back to school amid skyrocketing COVID-19 numbers,” she posted July 14.
As the plague has been on the rise throughout the state in recent months, more state politicians, both Republican and Democrat, are voicing their concern about the pressure the STAAR exam would add to already anxiety-ridden students, parents and teachers returning to school in the fall, according to media reports.
There were 430,485 cases reported statewide and 6,837 fatalities as of Aug. 2, according to the dashboard maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“I have heard from teachers, parents and school district administrators, gravely concerned about an in-person return to school scheduled for next month. COVID-19 cases are breaking record numbers," Powell wrote in her letter to Morath and Abbott. "Day after day we continue to read new reports of COVID-19 outbreaks at summer camps and in childcare settings. These realities pose not only health risks for students, parents, and teachers, but substantial roadblocks to effective in-person classroom instruction.”
The STAAR exam results are used to evaluate performance in reading, writing, math, science and social studies for 3rd- through 12th-grade students but the coronavirus has caused inconsistent student participation and other virtual learning deficiencies.
“I implore TEA and the governor to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education that will exempt Texas from the standardized testing requirement for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year,” Powell said. “Given the historic challenges facing our students and teachers. I am concerned that an already flawed high-stakes testing instrument will unfairly and inaccurately determine student performance in an uncertain environment. During this time of uncertainty, I know that together we can lead the way to show the nation that Texas will come out of this challenging time, stronger than ever before.”
Abbott suspended the controversial testing program for the recent school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but the TEA decided to proceed with STAAR testing for students in the 2020-2021 academic year, according to media reports.
Scott Moore, a Conroe ISD board member, told Education Daily Wire that he believes the main driver for TEA to continue pushing STAAR is financial as the STAAR vendor stands to make a lot of money if the test continues. Meanwhile, he noted, the TEA stands to lose a lot of money it does not honor its contractual obligations with the vendor.
The TEA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Powell joins the Wichita Falls Independent School District, Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Denton), Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Travis), Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van), the Conroe Independent School District, Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano), Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney), Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano) and others in announcing their support for waiving accountability ratings along with teachers and parents.
Teachers for Texas has begun circulating a petition, and an Opt-Out Texas Facebook group helps parents demand that their children not be subjected to STAAR requirements.
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