End-of-course STAAR shows where work is needed

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™) results, which were released in June by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), show that statewide passing rates on five rigorous key end-of-course tests ranged from 87 percent on the biology test to 55 percent on the English I writing test.

Just as it did with the TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) and TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) tests, the state is phasing in the passing requirements for STAAR.

The number of questions students must answer correctly will increase at intervals until 2016, when the final passing requirements will be in place. The purpose of the extended phase-in is to provide students and educators with sufficient time to adjust to the increased rigor of the assessments and higher performance expectations.

Results of the first administration of STAAR show what percentage of students passed the end-of-course tests at the first phase-in standard and what the passing rates would have been if the final passing standards had been in place this year.

Even at the initial phase-in level, the STAAR passing standards require students to demonstrate more in-depth knowledge, critical thinking and application skills than did the TAKS. The STAAR standards at the first phase-in level are higher than the passing standards for TAKS.

Students who failed a STAAR end-of-course test may retake the test in July.


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