House hears testimony on STAAR redesign

The House Public Education Committee met Aug. 21 to hear public testimony on HB 8 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), a bill that would redesign state testing and overhaul the A-F accountability system. TCTA submitted testimony that acknowledged the positive intent behind much of the restructuring, but also addressed a number of concerns about the proposal.

With the controversy surrounding congressional redistricting efforts in both special sessions, state testing redesign has taken a back seat to other items on the agenda, but now that most of the big-ticket bills have sufficiently moved through the legislative process, House committees have begun working on other priorities.

In the House Public Education Committee meeting, the first panel included Commissioner of Education Mike Morath who answered a majority of the committee's questions. Much of the members' focus was on the details of how STAAR would be redesigned and the logistics of changing from a single summative exam at the end of the year to three through-year exams. Other panelists outlined the differences between norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing and explained the possibility of using adaptive tests as a diagnostic tool for students.

Committee members and witnesses also voiced concerns about the potential growth of AI grading for student written responses as well as the number of assessments that were challenged by parents and had their scores changed after being reviewed.

The intent of HB 8 is that the burden of testing be spread throughout the year to reduce stress on teachers and students alike. Currently, almost all campuses implement campus shutdowns on testing days to ensure secure testing protocols are observed, but HB 8 would create shorter exams that are intended for a single class period, at most, and are designed to not require campus shutdowns. 

STAAR as it exists does not allow teachers to adjust their instruction to meet student needs since it is typically reported as a raw score and sent to the students' teachers the next year. Through-year testing would allow teachers in the same school year to make key adjustments to their instruction and improve student outcomes throughout the year with a standardized test.

TCTA provided input expressing appreciation for the intent behind the testing changes, but noting several concerns, including the need for more clarity in statute to provide assurance that overall testing and high stakes would not worsen under the proposal. We also included suggestions to enhance educator input, validate tests for the purposes for which they would be used, and address concerns about school ratings and possible state takeovers.

The bill passed out of committee on an 8-1 vote, with Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) being the only vote against.