{"id":208159,"date":"2025-09-07T17:33:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T17:33:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/208159\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T17:33:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T17:33:11","slug":"what-does-the-end-of-staar-mean-for-tarrant-county-students-and-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/208159\/","title":{"rendered":"What does the end of STAAR mean for Tarrant County students and schools?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite Texas doing away with STAAR, Fort Worth and Lake Worth schools still face<\/a> the heavy consequences of failing<\/a> accountability ratings tied to the high-stakes tests.<\/p>\n

Texas lawmakers passed legislation eliminating the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, which has defined public education across the state since 2011. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the bill<\/a> into law.<\/p>\n

However, Fort Worth and Lake Worth schools remain at risk of state takeovers after the districts each had a campus post five consecutive failing grades<\/a> under the academic A-F accountability system, which is largely based on STAAR results.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The tests will be phased out beginning in 2027 and replaced with three shorter, adaptive assessments spread across the year.<\/p>\n

Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said schools will continue to be judged by STAAR as the transition happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a forward-looking change,\u201d said Buckley, who also serves as chairman of the House Committee on Public Education, adding it doesn\u2019t stop current potential interventions. \u201cWe get one shot at kids. When districts show repeated instances of failing them, those measures are necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buckley\u2019s bill ending STAAR aims to give parents and teachers the shorter tests that will have results back within 48 hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A committee of teachers will vet every test item, and end-of-year exams will move back to May, giving schools more instructional time, Buckley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Supporters say the reforms will make testing less stressful and more useful. The bill requires districts to use the new beginning-, middle- and end-of-year assessments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The changes are designed to cut back on unnecessary benchmark testing while giving families better information more quickly, said Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of education and workforce policy at the nonprofit Texas 2036<\/a>. Many districts currently give a patchwork of exams on top of STAAR to monitor student progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect this three-times-a-year testing pattern to result in much fewer tests for students because we\u2019re going to end all this over-testing and this over-preparation and this over-benchmarking,\u201d said Pruneda, a former education policy adviser to Abbott. \u201cThat\u2019s just going to be better for kids and a lot better for teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pruneda said the new system is meant to raise expectations, not lower them. She pointed to campuses where only about 20% of students read on grade level and argued that quicker, more frequent assessments can help schools respond before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means that about 80% of kids are advancing on to the next grade level in that campus, and they are not prepared,\u201d she said. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we call that unacceptable?\u201d<\/p>\n

Not everyone views the changes as an improvement.<\/p>\n

Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, urges Abbott to veto the bill, warning it more than triples state-mandated testing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo parent asked for more STAAR testing. No student asked for more STAAR testing. No teacher asked for more STAAR testing,\u201d Hinojosa said.<\/p>\n

Buckley disputes that interpretation, saying his bill eliminates redundant tests while creating a more consistent system across districts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very inaccurate interpretation because it bans all the over-testing that\u2019s currently being done,\u201d Buckley said. \u201cThis is a wholesale change.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Texas Education Agency must design and pilot the new assessments before the 2027-28 school year. Lawmakers required the agency to provide regular reports.<\/p>\n

Buckley said he intends to monitor closely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I want is for test day to just be another day at school,\u201d Buckley said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But until 2027, state accountability decisions across Tarrant County will continue to rely on STAAR results, even as the state begins transitioning to a new testing system.<\/p>\n

Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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