Gov. Greg Abbott has eased some restrictions on Texas' standardized testing. | Image Source: youtube.com - Credit: Governor Greg Abbott
A growing number of lawmakers, public officials and organizations in Texas are calling for the state’s education testing to be waived for the upcoming school year, and Gov. Greg Abbott this week waived certain requirements for the standardized test.
Abbott announced that 5th- and 8th-grade students’ performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test (STAAR) will not determine if the students are ready to move to the next grade, KTLV reported.
Abbott’s announcement comes amid growing calls for the STAAR exam to be waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a disruption in classes for students.
State Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) was the latest lawmaker to call for a waiver of the STAAR exam for the upcoming year and he did not respond to several requests for comment.
“I know we need to be able to somehow assess where students are, no question, but — and we’ve got some time to get this worked out — I’m strongly advocating for the Texas Education Agency [TEA] to waive the accountability measures, the STAAR test, until we’re operating under normal circumstances, "King told the Weatherford Democrat. "I just don't think we ought to do it all this year."
Aledo Independent School District board secretary Forrest Collins told the Weatherford Democrat, “…there is absolutely no reason for TEA to spend $90 million on a test that doesn’t count during a time when the state is preparing for budget cuts.”
Another lawmaker, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Denton), wrote to Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath to ask about waiving the STAAR exam.
“So much time is wasted on the test when our students could be focused on learning and being engaged in new material,” Patterson told the Lone Star Standard. “Moreover, a one-time snapshot of a student doesn’t fully take into account the growth of the student over time or even their aptitude. As the educational limitations continue into next school year, it just makes sense to focus more on teaching and learning and less on the test.”
State Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) also called on suspending the STAAR exam through May 2021 and told NBC-TV "STAAR will be an unfair evaluation of our schools, students and teachers as the traditional learning environment was abruptly halted for a significant portion of the school year."
State Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van) also announced his support for waiving accountability ratings and told the Lone Star Standard, “It is the utilization of these results for high-stakes decisions such as teacher and principal evaluations, student grade promotion, and high school graduation that is unjust and unfair given the current national crisis.”
Other lawmakers who have publicly endorsed the waiving of STAAR requirements include Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin), Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo), and Sen. Judith Zaffirini.
Zaffirini told Education Daily Wire she did not agree with the Texas Education Agency.
“I disagree with TEA’s decision to administer the STAAR test in the 2020-21 school year,” Zaffirini told Education Daily Wire. “This year is going to be about recovery — academically, emotionally, and otherwise. Engaging in high-stakes testing not only sets the wrong priorities for our teachers and students but also would yield completely meaningless results.”
She said the coronavirus pandemic has exposed a cultural divide that will make STAAR testing unfair.
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