When it comes to the basic subjects of reading and math, Texas students in grades three through eighth aren’t making much progress.
That’s according to the latest state test results released Thursday.
The test is known as the STAAR, or State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. It’s three years old.
One bright spot was sixth grade reading. That improved the most out of any grade or subject, by six percentage points.
Another bright spot was eighth grade math. Almost 80 percent of students passed.
But almost every grade slipped in reading. Take third graders: One in every four students failed the reading test.
Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams took the latest test results as a chance to defend standardized testing.
“As a state, I do not believe we can afford to ignore potential issues we’re seeing in the lower grades with the hope that they will simply disappear for our students in high school. These results are telling us that our students need support now,” Williams said in a written statement.
Ahead of the results, several superintendents publicly criticized the state’s testing system.