This is excellent news. Now we need a longer-term approach that replaces this system with a research-based alternative that is also not about shaming and blaming kids, teachers, or schools, but that is fully about providing a comprehensive, developmental, asset-based perspective on student performance so that children—in their full humanity—cannot solely achieve, but thrive.

Accordingly, my UT doctoral students under the auspices of the Texas Center for Education Policy together with members of the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition (TLEEC), Texas LULAC, and Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment (TAMSA), are working on policy proposals that will help us to move in these precise directions as a state. 

This is, of course, very exciting, long overdue, and trending. I blogged on this nearly a year ago in this post, "The testing craze is fading in U.S. schools. Good. Here's what's next."

Please stay tuned. More to come soon.

Thanks to Rep. Diego Bernal and our educator organizations, including Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina, as well as other members of the legislature for voicing their concerns.

-Angela Valenzuela

@vlnzl @TxLatino #txlege #UTTCEP @NEA #ChildWelfare #MoreThanATest #SPED  #TxEd @FairTestOffice #standardizedtests #testing @NACCSTejasfoco @DisRightsTx #disabilities #specialneeds @IDRAedu @EdAustin_TX @utexascoe @LULAC @TxLULAC @SaveTXschools

Bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers call on state to move toward canceling next year’s STAAR tests

“I think there’s still a lot of question as to how we might pursue this,” Morath said. “We’ve got 10 or so different options, as it were, to consider. No final decision has been made as we gather feedback from folks.”

If Texas education officials move forward with STAAR in the spring, the group of 68 state representatives wants the TEA to set aside its traditional campus and district accountability framework.

“At most, any administration of the STAAR exam during the 2020-2021 school year should only serve as a diagnostic instrument to see where our students stand academically, as opposed to an assessment instrument to determine district and campus sanctions under the current A-F accountability system,” the legislators wrote.

The letter echoes some of the arguments made in recent months by educator organizations and unions, which lobbied against high-stakes standardized testing before the pandemic. Texas State Teachers Association President Ovidia Molina said STAAR testing “should be the last priority” in schools.

“Our students, educators and their families can’t afford the distraction of STAAR as they struggle to stay safe and continue to adjust to new methods of teaching and learning,” Molina said in a statement Wednesday.

While education testing issues traditionally break largely along party lines, with Democrats more likely to oppose high-stakes exams, the bipartisan letter signaled broad concerns about STAAR and accountability in 2021. The Texas House has 150 members.

Fourteen Houston-area legislators signed the letter. The Democratic representatives were Alma Allen, Gina Calanni, Garnet Coleman, Ana Hernandez, Christina Morales, Mary Ann Perez, Ron Reynolds, Jon Rosenthal, Shawn Thierry, Senfronia Thompson and Gene Wu. The Republican representatives were Ernest Bailes, Briscoe Cain and Ed Thompson.

State Rep. Diego Bernal, a San Antonio Democrat and vice chair of the House Public Education Committee, organized and authored the message. The absence of legislators’ names on the letter does not necessarily mean they oppose the group’s position on STAAR.

jacob.carpenter@chron.com