AUSTIN, Texas – June 16, 2022 - Today, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released spring 2022 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) results for end-of-course (EOC) assessments. The results include assessments in Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S History. 

This year’s STAAR EOC assessment results show progress in the three tests that saw a decline during COVID-19. In these three tests, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History, Texas student performance in the meets grade level category improved. As the percentage of high school students meeting grade level is moving closer to pre-pandemic levels, these improvements are a welcome sign that Texas students are moving in the right direction in their post-pandemic academic recovery.

Percentage of Students Who Met Grade Level in EOCs

In the two tests that did not show a negative impact from COVID-19, English I and English II, results stayed largely consistent from last school year.

“These results provide encouraging evidence that the academic recovery plans adopted by the Texas Legislature and implemented by our state’s 370,000 dedicated teachers are working for our students,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “We have made some progress to date, but there is still work to be done to fully recover from the academic effects of the COVID slide. We’re confident we’ll get there because Texas educators are all-in on helping their students to make the necessary academic gains."

Among the policies to help support academic gains is House Bill 4545 (87R). If students do not meet the passing standard on a STAAR EOC assessment, HB 4545 entitles students either to receive thirty hours of targeted tutoring before, during, or after school for each subject in which they did not pass the corresponding EOC assessment, or to be assigned to a classroom overseen by a certified master, exemplary, or recognized teacher.

Commissioner Morath added, “It is critical we use all available tools, including standardized tests, to measure student performance and help address any possible learning loss from COVID-19-related disruptions. Parents need to have access to clear information on where their students are, compared to previous years, and how much progress was made during the most recent school year. Teachers need reliable input on how students are doing relative to a consistent set of state standards. And school district leaders rely on the results from these assessments to properly lead their school systems in ways that maximize support for student academic growth.”

To meet state graduation requirements, students must have either (a) passed STAAR EOC assessments, (b) scored high enough on a substitute assessment (e.g., PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, TSIA), or (c) met the requirements of an individual graduation committee (IGC). 

Results for STAAR grades 3–8 assessments will be made publicly available on June 24, 2022, and will give families and schools across Texas a better understanding of how students are doing. State law has recently changed to remove any high stakes for students associated with STAAR tests in grades 3–8. There is no requirement under state law that students who fail any STAAR grades 3–8 assessment repeat a grade, instead allowing STAAR results solely to serve as information on how best to support students moving forward.  

More changes to STAAR are coming in the 2022-23 school year. TEA is implementing changes from House Bill 3906 (86R) that require STAAR to be redesigned to better align with classroom instruction. These changes aim to improve student engagement and eliminate instruction that is solely directed toward test preparation. These changes, which will not alter the test’s difficulty, will be fully in effect by the spring 2023 test administration.

To Learn More
Parents are encouraged to log in and learn more about their child’s results by going to TexasAssessment.gov. 

Parents can view a variety of resources and assessment components, including each STAAR question and answer, along with their child’s answer. The website also provides resources designed to help parents prepare their son or daughter as he or she progresses from grade to grade. 

Resources include tools to support a student’s ability to read and write, as well as tips and questions to help prepare for parent-teacher conferences in the 2022–23 school year.

To review STAAR state-level reports, visit: http://tea.texas.gov/staar/rpt/sum. Summary results are noted here:

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