When Reform Stalls: Texas’ STAAR Breakdown and What It Means for Public Education

Texas lawmakers let opportunity slip. The 89th Legislature failed to pass House Bill 4—a bipartisan proposal to replace the one-day, high-stakes STAAR exam with three shorter, more meaningful assessments spread throughout the year.

1. The Reality Behind the Numbers

• A year’s worth of testing, a single snapshot: STAAR remains a high-pressure, end-of-year exam, with results arriving too late to support students in real time. Teachers continue to teach to the test, and instructional days are consumed by drills and preparation for one high-stakes moment.

• Legislative disconnect: Though both the House and Senate supported reform, they couldn’t agree on whether to shift accountability power more to the Texas Education Agency or maintain legislative oversight. This highlights a recurring issue: policy made in boardrooms, not classrooms.

  
  

2. Why This Matters to Our Platform

• Education needs partnership, not power grabs: Our platform values trust over top-down mandates. When lawmakers debate how much control the state should have over accountability, we must ask: are teachers and communities part of those conversations—or sidelined?

• Student-centered assessment improves learning: A pilot system featuring shorter formative assessments could align with our emphasis on growth over compliance. The failed bill would have given educators better instructional data, enabling them to “teach with intention”—not just to test.

• Systemic strain worsens educator burnout: Overworked teachers dread STAAR season—and the constant cycles of high-stakes testing contribute to a profession built on stress. Until assessments change, so will teacher well-being, morale, and retention.

  
  

3. What Needs to Happen Next

• Keep the momentum going: Local voices matter. Teachers, parents, and superintendents, like Austin ISD’s Brad Owen, are already calling for next-session action. The hard work of coalition-building and public testimony must continue.

• Center student and teacher input: Future reforms must involve educators in shaping any replacement test—how it’s timed, designed, and used. That means school boards, teacher unions, parent associations, and students must all have a seat at the table.

• Prepare schools for change, not court battles: The Legislature must fund the shift—cover training, communication systems, and community education. Without this, even the best-designed testing reform will create uneven implementation.

  
  

4. Justice for Students and Educators

Our mission is clear: we aim for policies that balance both student growth and teacher professionalism. Texas’s STAAR failure shows how hard that can be—but it also shows exactly where the cracks are. Over-testing steals instructional time, erodes relationships, and drives educators away.

Assessment reform is not optional. It is an essential step toward an education system built on trust, collaboration, and humane accountability.

Call to Action

• Educators: Share your stories from inside the classroom. How has STAAR affected your teaching—and your students?

• Parents: Speak up at school board meetings and engage with local legislators to advocate for your child's education. Student welfare depends on your voice.

• Advocates: Join coalitions like Raise Your Hand Texas or Texas State Teachers Association to keep this fight alive.

Change won’t come from empty grades or ended sessions—it comes from persistent, collective pressure. If we want education to reclaim its purpose, we must act—not just hope.

Let’s build an assessment system that teaches—and trusts. And let’s remember: rebuilding education starts with the people who live it every day.