STAAR Exam (Stage Two)

In the article, “STAAR Faces Questioning From Lawmakers” in The Texas Tribune reported on the roll-out of the new state exam and how school districts are dealing with it. In this article people are shocked at what STAAR is and whether they have voted for it. Now, it is too late to take those votes back and this test and its policies seem to be causing more problems than once thought. STAAR, or State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, will count towards 15 percent of a student’s final grade in the corresponding courses in which the student is tested. The problem is how school districts will apply the 15-percent rule. This test is also replacing the more well-known TAKS testing system. Many schools are still figuring out how their grading policies, class rankings and grade-point averages will apply with the new rule. And because the law did not delineate how the schools should implement the new test, school districts are coming up with different methods in applying the 15-percent rule. The schools have to figure out how to convert the raw score, which ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 points, to one they can use as a grade, and then decide how to factor that grade on one exam into what is usually two semesters’ worth of courses in areas including math, social studies and English.

I believe education is the foremost important gift we can give our children and for most of us, we have to rely on the state to educate our precious ones. The state sets the standards regardless if we think it is good or bad. They do this when laws are passed during odd number years. The Texas Legislature convenes and passes laws that impact how children are educated. We, as parents, do not have a say. Granted, we can testify at a committee hearing, but most of us work and do not have the flexibility to do so especially because we have families that need us. Learning about what laws passed will make each and everyone of us better informed parents. This in turn can help us be more proactive in our own children’s education.

Some schools are deciding “to give all students that score below a failing range a 69 and all who get above that range a 100; while others have assigned grades to ranges of points on the exams, giving, for example, a 65 to a student who falls below a certain point, an 85 to a student who scores in the satisfactory to advanced range and a 95 to a student who scores in the advanced range.  School districts have also approached weighing the exam score into a final grade, in several different ways. Each semester can count toward 42 percent, and the exam can count 15 percent. They can average the grades of each semester, count them toward 85 percent and then factor in the exam for 15 percent. They can take the first semester grade for 85 percent, factor in the exam for 15 percent, do the same with the second semester, and then average those two figures.”

Advocates of the STAAR are upset that there are not clearer guidelines and believe this will decrease the high standard given to the exam.

The Texas Education Agency is supervising the rollout of the exam, but refuses to give any guidance to school districts stating that “lawmakers did not give it the authority to set conversions in the 2009 law that established STAAR.” A spokesperson for the agency stated that lawmakers have to address how the school districts implement STAAR in the next legislative session. This comes on the heels of the agency seeing tremendous budget cuts and losing a third of its staff.

STAAR Faces Questioning From LawmakersThe agency does not have the resources or the inclination to do more than is laid out in the legislation. School districts are always concerned about losing local control and unfunded mandates. They believe if the state is going to limit their control and mandate they take action, then they should ensure the school districts have adequate funding. Of course, this last legislative session, school districts received $4 billion less in funding, a huge reduction in staff, and now bigger class sizes.  It’s not that they want to undermine the test or do not care about educating the children. It’s that they do not have the money or the staff to do it.

As a society we need to stay informed on every topic because we never know when a law or bill will affect us. While I completely disagree with “teaching to the test” which is what most teachers have resorted to I also do not agree with lack of preparation. My 3^rd grader will take the STAAR this year and his teacher has no idea what is on it, leaving her in the dark to at least give her students the best opportunity for success.

The Texas Tribune- STAAR