Rather than having a once-a-year test offered, lawmakers at the state capitol are exploring changes to the STAAR exam.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the STAAR test season is winding down, districts across the state have been preparing our students to perform well.
“We’ve got students across the district taking their math STAAR EOC,” said Corpus Christi Independent School District Deputy Superintendent Sandra Clement. “One test — one time a year.”
But some changes could be coming as to how often that test is given.
“The state is right now considering, at the legislative level, having a three-time-a-year assessment: beginning of the year, middle of the year and end of the year,” she said. “Which sounds pretty hopeful.”
Clement adds that, not only will this aim to raise those test score numbers, but it will also benefit parents’, teachers’ and students’ mental health.
“That one day of test is super stressful for that one content area, and having that beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year (test) also shows growth,” she said. “Which is what we target with our kids.”
If we were to see these proposed changes come to fruition, the actual length of the test would not be altered.
“Ultimately, through these discussions, (it would) be the same length as a full blown STAAR test that we’re used to seeing,” said CCISD Senior Director of Assessment & Accountability Sonia Zyla. “But this one would be broken down into chunks throughout the year.”
Taking a test when the information is fresh on someone’s mind will usually bring out better results.
“It’ll allow us to test in shorter bursts after content, rather than having to assess on an entire year’s worth of content,” Zyla said. “And so, I think there’s benefits to it.”