STAAR scores released this month by TEA show mixed results as students in grades 3-8 and high schoolers taking end-of-course exams continue to recover from disruptions to learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
State data released June 6 for STAAR end-of-course exams show students are still struggling in math. The percentage of students who took the end-of-course test this spring and met grade level for Algebra I was 45%, the same as last year. But the results are still 17 percentage points below students' scores in spring 2019.
The percentage of students meeting grade level also remained consistent in Biology and English I. In English II, there was an increase of 4 percentage points among students meeting grade level, reaching 60%. In U.S. History, there was a decrease in the percentage of students meeting grade level from 71% to 69%.
One highlight from this year’s EOC results is the increase in the percentage of emergent bilingual students who met grade level across all EOC assessments. Emergent bilingual students saw an increase in English I and II, rising 4 percentage points in grade-level proficiency. TEA said this improvement is particularly significant as it represents a substantial population of students, with 24% of Texas’ 5.5 million public school students classified as emergent bilingual.
State testing data for grades 3-8 released June 14 shows students’ math and science scores slipped as they struggle to catch up after the pandemic.
Elementary students who took the STAAR exam this spring saw declines in science comprehension. Only 26% of fifth graders met science grade-level standards, a decline of 21 percentage points from 2019.
About 41% of students demonstrated an adequate understanding of math on their tests, with declines across grades compared to last year.
The results show the toll the COVID-19 pandemic exacted on student learning and the long road toward recovery still ahead.
“It’s clear that math performance is not where students need it to be for success after graduation,” Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. “Pandemic-induced disruptions to learning exacerbated students’ difficulties in mastering fundamental math concepts.”
One bright spot in the grade 3-8 results are the gains by emergent bilingual students. Though their scores still lag behind the rest of the state, emergent bilingual students surpassed pre-pandemic levels in reading and social studies by 12 and 6 percentage points, respectively. Emergent bilingual students made more progress in narrowing the gap between their pre- and post-pandemic performance in math and science, compared to their peers.
Parents and families can view their child’s individual STAAR EOC results by visiting their school district’s family portal or TexasAssessment.gov using the unique access code provided by their child’s school.
Educators can click here to view STAAR data by region, district, campus and grade level.
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