STAAR Tests
State of Texas Assessment Readiness (STAAR) information
STAAR Information
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) program was implemented in Spring 2012. Summative assessments provide educators and parents with helpful information to support strong teaching and guide students to their full potential. State summative assessments serve several primary purposes:
- to determine the mastery of knowledge and skills for students.
-
to determine the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction programs at the end of a unit or course.
- to help determine which individual students should receive additional holistic support.
This program includes annual assessments for:
- Reading/Language Arts in Grades 3-8, English I EOC and English II EOC
- Mathematics in Grades 3-8, Algebra I EOC
- Science in Grades 5 and 8, Biology EOC
- Social Studies in Grade 8, US History EOC
STAAR Resources from the Texas Education Agency can help support families to understand the Texas Assessment program.
- https://www.texasassessment.gov/families.html
- STAAR Released Test Information
- STAAR Student Assessment Information
STAAR Scores - Please access your child's scores through the District Links section located in your child's Skyward Access. You will be able to view your child's STAAR scores from previous school years.
STAAR Redesign Information for families
In Spring 2023, the STAAR/EOC assessments were redesigned as a result of requirements outlined in House Bill (HB) 3906, passed in 2019 by the 86th Texas Legislature. In addition to the implementation of statewide online testing in 2023, the STAAR/EOC redesign included several components:
- New Question Types - With the redesign, the maximum number of multiple-choice questions on a test is 75%. This means the other 25% of the test is composed of several new question types. These new item types may include open-ended questions, inline answer choices, drag and drop questions, multi-select or multi-part questions, and graphing questions. Some questions now ask for multiple answers. Instead of selecting A, B, C, or D, students could be asked to choose the two or three best answers. There could also be multiple parts to a question. For example, the answer in part A of a question determines the information in part B. Additionally, on some questions, students are able to earn partial credit for a response. These new question types create a different testing experience than students previously encountered.
- Cross-Curricular Passages - Writing has been incorporated into the reading test in all grade levels. This is significant as third graders were previously assessed only on multiple choice questions. The redesign also created an increase in the number of cross-curricular informational passages that use content aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for other subject areas (e.g., social studies, science, mathematics, etc.). When taking the reading language arts assessment, students may be asked to read a passage related to science content for that grade level. While the questions include topics from other subject areas, the questions only assess a student's reading and language arts performance; students will not be scored on their understanding of the other subject areas.
- Evidence-Based Writing - Beginning with the 2023 assessments, Reading-Language Arts (RLA) assessments include both reading and writing (grades 3–8 English, grades 3–5 Spanish, and English I and II End-of-Course) and include new question types and an extended constructed response, or essay, at every grade level.
What This Means: While results may look similar, it is important to remember the results of the STAAR/EOC redesign and that previous versions of STAAR/EOC (prior to Spring 2023) cannot be easily compared. There are many differences between the two tests, which may impact a student’s results.
TEA has provided a practice site for teachers, students, and families so they are comfortable with the platform before STAAR. https://txpt.cambiumtds.com/student This can be accessed both in school and at home, so all stakeholders can see what students will be using.