When COVID-19 first became a threat, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Denton) immediately wrote to Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath to ask about waiving the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) testing requirement. That’s because Patterson grew up in the standardized testing generation under Texas Assessment of Academic Skills exams in Whitesboro, Texas.
“So much time is wasted on the test when our students could be focused on learning and being engaged in new material,” Patterson told the Lone Star Standard. “Moreover, a one-time snapshot of a student doesn’t fully take into account the growth of the student over time or even their aptitude. As the educational limitations continue into next school year, it just makes sense to focus more on teaching and learning and less on the test.”
Patterson has joined the ranks of politicians who support suspending STAAR testing requirements as Texas schools try to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
As previously reported in the Lone Star Standard, Gov. Greg Abbott suspended the controversial testing program in May due to the economic shutdown and state Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van) advocates suspending the exam's high-stakes accountability ratings through May 2021.
“Students and teachers did great work before standardized testing took over our educational system,” said Patterson. “I don’t believe accountability stops when the STAAR test isn’t administered. I trust our teachers and parents to ensure students are getting a solid education. Teachers will still measure growth and test students without the state or federal mandates.”
In addition, Patterson authored HB 2572 as an alternative model, which proposes amending the Texas Education Code to eliminate the state requirement that schools assess social studies and U.S. History in grades eight and eleven.
“This bill would have also established a pilot program that allowed certain school districts to utilize social studies portfolios - which could include tests, research projects and presentations and assessment tools,” he said. “The pilot program would give schools the opportunity to try different methods of assessment and determine which is most successful before implementing in other grade levels and subjects.”
The Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment (TAMSA) has been promoting removing high-stakes from testing and for using more meaningful assessments especially during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Eliminating the high-stakes STAAR and End of Course (EOC) exams seems like the right thing to do during these unprecedented times,” said Heather Sheffield, president of TAMSA. “It seems unfair to test students on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills that they may or may not have learned due to instructional and internet issues surrounding COVID.”
The state curriculum standards are based on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
As of July 6, 2020, Texas Health and Human Services reported 195,239 coronavirus cases and 2,637 fatalities.
“We are asking that STAAR be waived because of the fact that the pandemic has highlighted the vast differences in our school districts,” Sheffield told the Lone Star Standard. “Some have access to the internet and can sit in a Zoom classroom. Others have no internet and instead depend on packets. This is the time to rely on our teachers who are working very hard to make sure their students get the necessary materials.”
STAAR results are used to evaluate performance in reading, writing, math, science and social studies for 3rd- through 12th-grade pupils, according to media reports.
“If the Texas Education Agency is adamant about giving STAAR, they could do so but remove the high stakes from the students and do not attach teacher pay to student scores,” said Sheffield in an interview. “They could allow teachers to use STAAR to guide instruction but not to shame students.”
Currently, there are 5.4 million students in Texas, according to the Texas Education Agency.
“One thing that is not counted in accountability is the fact that many schools function beyond the classroom by providing breakfast and lunch each day for students that may otherwise not eat,” Sheffield said. “We may need our school nurses to help with COVID testing and temperature taking, our custodians will be cleaning like they've never cleaned before and our teachers will be caring for and educating our students all while being at a high risk of exposure to a deadly virus for which there is no certain cure or vaccine. It makes sense to focus on the basics right now and not add more undue stress to people's lives.”
