2023 STAAR results steady or rising over 2022
AUSTIN, Texas — The STAAR assessment scores for grades 3 through 8 are out now -- the results from the first time the entire test was online, even for the youngest test takers. They are also from only the second year that all Texas students returned to in-person learning.
Statewide – reading scores for grades 3 through 8 stayed steady from last year and measured higher than before the pandemic. Math scores still lag below pre-COVID numbers but are generally trending in the right direction. “I think we’ve got to be cautious about what these tests are, and they are just a test,” said Ken Zarifis, the president of the Austin ISD employee union, Education Austin.
The scores are promising. “That’s a thing to be happy about, we need to be glad our kids did well, those that took the test,” Zarifis said. In reading, some grades are down from last year – but still scoring higher than before the pandemic. Math is another story – those scores are down by as much as 11 percent for eighth graders -- but more students met or mastered math than the year before, “I would expect coming out of a pandemic. I would imagine math scores are already challenging to attain and I think you’re just going to have a lag,” said Zarifis.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement: “Teachers across Texas continue to work with passion and skill to help students learn. This year’s results show the efforts of our educators continue to deliver improved results for students.”
But there are some troubling results – gaps between white students and black and brown students widened, and the gap between the state average and that of economically disadvantaged students has grown in the past four years. Jonathan Feinstein of the nonprofit The Education Trust said in a statement: "When lawmakers return to the capitol, I hope they will face these disparities head-on by making the equitable, data-driven investments to help Texas close these gaps and support the success of all students."
Zarifis cautions however not to read too much into the scores either. “Why are we taking the STAAR? “ he asked and then answered his own question. “People want simple answers to complicated questions. Education is difficult.”
You can find the full report here.