Bill to replace Texas STAAR test fails
The Brief
A bill to replace the STAAR test failed to pass the Texas legislature
The House and Senate could not agree on key differences.
The Texas State Teachers Association opposed the Senate's version, preferring no bill to what they saw as overreach by the education commissioner.
AUSTIN - Texas lawmakers failed to come to an agreement on a bill that would have replaced the STAAR test in the state.
Dig deeper
House Bill 4, authored by state Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), would have replaced the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) with three shorter tests during the school year.
Under the bill, the tests would have been given out in October, from mid-January to early-February, and late May.
Different versions of the bill passed the House and Senate, but the two chambers could not agree on differences.
The Senate was pushing to keep a social studies test and for the Texas Education Agency commissioner to be able to set strict standards for school districts' letter-grade system.
The House wanted the state legislature to approve any changes to the A-F ratings made by the TEA.
The STAAR test has been used for students in grades three through 11 since 2012.
What they're saying
The Texas State Teachers Association had urged state legislators to vote no on the Senate version of the bill.
"We think we are better off that there is no bill at all than what the Senate wanted to do. We thought the Senate gave far too much authority to the unelected state commissioner," the union wrote on social media.
The Source
Information in this article comes from documents from Texas Legislature on House Bill 4 and statements by the Texas State Teachers Association.
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