“Absent the STAAR test, you’re not going to have a valid, reliable view of grade-level mastery of student skills,” he said.
Last spring, Texas applied for and received a waiver from the federal government allowing it not to administer the STAAR.
Texas has already committed to allowing elementary and middle school students who fail the exams this spring to move up to the next grade, with district permission.
Usually, student scores on the test determine whether high school students can graduate, whether some elementary and middle school students can move on to the next grade, and whether schools can remain open.
The Texas State Teachers Association, which has been calling for a suspension of STAAR testing since June, quickly came out in support of the legislators’ letter.