AUSTIN, Texas – August 16, 2023 – The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has announced the release of the spring 2023 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) results for students in Grades 3-8. The latest results reveal important insights into the academic progress and support provided to students across Texas.
Reading and Language Arts Proficiency Remains Stable: The STAAR results indicate that reading and language arts proficiency for students in grades 3-8 has remained largely unchanged. This stability suggests that the academic recovery achieved in 2022, following the pandemic, continues to hold steady.
Positive Signs in Mathematics: Although the significant effects of the pandemic continue to impact mathematics performance, this year’s results bring encouraging signs. Five out of six tested grade levels demonstrated an increase in the percentage of students meeting grade level expectations. Texas 6th graders’ results echoed those of 2022.
Progress for Emergent Bilingual Students: The STAAR results also highlight the progress of Emergent Bilingual (EB) students in mathematics and reading-language arts. With 32% of EB students meeting grade level in math and 35% meeting grade level in reading, both figures reach or surpass all-time high levels of performance for the state. Texas public schools support one of the largest populations of EB students in the country, with 21% of nearly 5.5 million public school students classified as Emergent Bilingual.
Advancements for Students with Special Education Services: Students receiving special education services demonstrated progress across various subjects. Year-over-year increases in grade-level proficiency were observed in math for grades 3-8, as well as in 5th and 8th grade science, and 8th grade social studies. Texas has dedicated over $1.1 billion in additional annual special education funding in the past seven years to provide essential support for these students.
Accessing Individual STAAR Report Cards: In addition to the statewide release of results, individual STAAR report cards were made available to parents through TexasAssessment.gov. Parents can now access their child’s specific STAAR results, review their answers to each question, and receive personalized recommendations to support their child’s academic growth. Being fully informed about their child’s progress empowers parents to work closely with their child’s teacher during the new school year.
FAQ:
Q: Where can parents access their child’s specific STAAR results?
A: Parents can visit TexasAssessment.gov and use their child’s unique access code to log in and view the STAAR report card.
Q: What subjects were included in the STAAR assessments?
A: The STAAR results covered assessments in mathematics and reading-language arts for grades 3-8, 5th and 8th grade science, and 8th grade social studies.
Q: What efforts have been made to support Emergent Bilingual students?
A: TEA, in collaboration with partner agencies, is actively working to increase the number of bilingual certified teachers and dual language programs to better support Emergent Bilingual students.
Q: How has Texas invested in special education services?
A: Over the past seven years, Texas has provided more than $1.1 billion in additional annual special education funding to offer critical support for students receiving special education services.
Sources:
– Texas Education Agency: [URL]
– TexasAssessment.gov: [URL]
– House Bill 3906 (86R in 2019): [URL]