Grade 3-8 STAAR scores show students still struggle with math and reading after pandemic

Scores for students in grades 3-8 have continued to improve since the pandemic, but more than half of Texas students are still struggling with math and about half of them are below grade-level in reading, according to spring 2023 STAAR data released by the Texas Education Agency on Aug. 16.

Five of the six tested grade levels saw an increase in the percentage of students that met grade level, while results for Texas sixth graders mirrored 2022 results, according to TEA.

According to TEA's data, 43% of students taking math in grades 3-8 or Algebra I met grade level or above this year, a 3 percentage point increase from the previous year. Fifty-two percent of students who took reading in grades 3-8, English I or English II met grade level or above, which is the same percentage as the year before.

While the math scores represent an increase from last year, they are still 7 percentage points behind the state average in 2019, before the pandemic hit. Reading scores, on the other hand, have seen a 5-percentage-point increase since then.

“Teachers across Texas continue to work with passion and skill to help students learn,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. “This year’s results show the efforts of our educators continue to deliver improved results for students.”

Among the highlights of this spring's scores, emergent bilingual students showed progress in both mathematics and reading-language arts. In math, 32% of EB students met grade level while 35% met grade level in reading, both of which are at or above all-time high levels of performance for the state. Texas public schools continue to serve one of the largest populations of EB students in the country, with 21% of Texas’ nearly 5.5 million public school students classified as emergent bilingual.

For more details, check out this statewide summary of 2023 STAAR 3-8 results.

In addition to releasing results statewide, individual STAAR report cards were also made available to parents across Texas at TexasAssessment.gov.

“We recommend parents log in and learn more about their child’s STAAR scores. Being fully informed about their child’s academic progress can help them work with their child’s teacher during the new school year,” Morath said.