News Release

STAAR To Debut This Spring

Updated: January 30, 2012

This spring a new testing journey begins with the launch of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness or STAAR. This new standardized testing program includes tests for students in grades 3-12.

Students will be tested in the core subject areas-reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The number of tests taken each year will vary from two to four, depending on the grade level. The STAAR tests for elementary and middle school grades will cover the same subjects and grades as the previous testing program, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). At the high school level, 12 end-of-course (EOC) assessments will replace grade-specific tests.

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STAAR in MISD Presentation slides [PDF]

History of the Texas assessment testing program:

Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS): 2003-2011, mathematics, reading, writing, English language arts, science and social studies, students tested in grades 3-11.

Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS): 1990-2002, reading, mathematics and writing, ultimately given to students in grades 3-8 and 10, additionally science and social studies tested at eighth grade, Spanish-language tests available for students in grades 3-6, four end-of-course exams provide optional method for meeting graduation requirements.

Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS): 1985-1990, reading, mathematics and writing in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11; first state test students were required to pass to earn a diploma.

Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS): 1981-1984, First state-mandated test administered to students in grades 3, 5 and 9 in reading, mathematics and writing.

The greatest changes have occurred at the high school level. Under the TAKS program, students took two tests in ninth grade, and four tests in both 10th and 11th grades. A student was required to pass the four exit-level tests given at 11th grade in order to graduate. This year’s ninth grade students will be the first class to graduate under the new STAAR testing program. The new system requires students to take and meet the performance standard developed by the state on a total of 12 End of Course (EOC) assessments over the course of their four years of high school. The 12 EOC assessments are: English I, English II, English III, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, World Geography, World History, and U.S. History. If a student is enrolled in grade 8 and is taking a course for which there is a STAAR EOC assessment, that student will be required to take the applicable STAAR EOC assessment as well as the 8th grade assessments.

The TAKS assessment program will be phased out. Our current 10th and 11th grade students will continue to take TAKS and will be held to the TAKS graduation requirements. With the implementation of STAAR, performance on state EOC assessments will also affect students’ course grades. In accordance with Texas Education Code 39.023(c), beginning in 2012, the EOC exam scores will count 15% of students’ final course grade in the corresponding courses. As a result, the Midlothian ISD EOC grading policy is currently under review and development. It will be presented to the school board in the near future for approval.

The STAAR will be more rigorous than previous state tests. It will contain more test questions that will focus on skills in a deeper manner. Students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of content as well as process skills. The tests are designed to provide information about student readiness for the next grade level or course and ultimately for college and career. For the first time since the state began its standardized testing program, students will have a four-hour time limit to complete each assessment.

While there are many details about the STAAR assessment program that have yet to be finalized, Midlothian ISD is working hard to prepare our students to succeed on the new, more rigorous state assessments. We will continue to inform parents and the community as we learn more about the new state assessment program. Midlothian ISD will host a parent informational meeting for 9th grade parents at the beginning of the spring semester to explain the new STAAR EOC assessments and the impact they play on their students’ course grades and graduation requirements. The latest information about the new testing program can be found here.