HISD, other state students show STAAR improvements

STAAR test results released Friday by the Texas Education Agency show that more Texas high school students are “approaching grade level” than prior to the pandemic on end-of-course assessments in most subjects.

Houston ISD also improved in most subjects but still lagged behind the rest of the state in the percentage of students approached grade level, a minimum requirement for graduation on all five assessments, data shows.

Texas students saw the greatest gains in English I, where the percentage of students approaching grade level jumped to 71 percent in 2023 from 63 percent in 2022. In Houston, that number rose to 57 percent from 53 percent.

The state saw more moderate gains in Algebra I, Biology, English II and U.S. History, data shows, but still enough to surpass pre-pandemic rates in all subjects except Algebra I — in which 78 percent of students approached grade level, compared to 84 percent in 2019.

“I appreciate the dedication and skill of Texas educators as they work to meet the needs of their students every day,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “STAAR is designed to provide parents and teachers with a clear understanding of how well students learned this year’s academic material and whether they are prepared for the next grade level and for life after graduation.”

The percentage of Houston students approaching grade level eclipsed the 2019 rate in three of the five subjects: English I, English II and U.S. history. Algebra I and biology results each improved by 6 percentage points from last year (to 67 percent in Algebra I and 77 percent in Biology) but had yet to reach pre-pandemic rates.

The higher scores come in the first year of a STAAR test that was “redesigned to better align with classroom instruction,” according to the TEA.

Following the passage of House Bill 3906 in 2019, the STAAR tests were held almost exclusively online and updated to emphasize writing, with a 75 percent cap on multiple choice questions, the agency said.

Families can view their student’s individual end-of-course assessments with an access code received from their school at TexasAssessment.gov.

STAAR results for Grades 3 through 8 will be available Aug. 16.

Armin Caratao/Spring Independent School District Cali Johnson and A’myri Phillips, the first African American female valedictorian and salutatorian, graduated from Dekaney High School in Spring. The TEA says high school students in Texas are doing better on STAAR tests.