Bill to replace STAAR testing passes Senate after failure of regular session version
AUSTIN - A new version of a bill to replace STAAR testing has passed the Texas Senate.
The development comes after a House version of the bill died in the Senate during the regular session.
STAAR bill passes Senate
The latest:
Senate Bill 8 passed the Senate Tuesday with a bipartisan vote of 22-6.
The bill would replace the STAAR with three shorter student support tests; one at the beginning of the year, one in the middle and one at the end.
It would also allow for test results to be delivered within 48 hours of administration, and would limit excessive benchmark testing, a Thursday release from co-author Sen. Paul Bettencourt's office says.
Additionally, district A-F ratings will now be required for campuses, with a statewide ban on "not rated" designations.
STAAR testing elimination on Texas Legislature Special Session agenda
Lawmakers were close to replacing the STAAR test at the end of the regular session, but they couldn't come to an agreement.
What they're saying:
"This is the same solid, bipartisan Conference Committee Report, drafted with Chair Buckley and members last session to put students, parents and teachers first," Bettencourt (R-Houston) said. "The bottom line is What Gets Measured Gets Fixed, and SB 8 ends the STAAR stress era and measures what matters, student success, in a fairer way while ending taxpayer-funded lawsuits against the public accountability system in Texas."
"On top of the tremendous success for Texas Public Education Funding, ESA’s, and a host of other reforms, replacing STAAR will finish a transformative year for Texas public education" said Senate Education K-16 Chairman Brandon Creighton.
"Texas parents deserve to know how their schools are doing, students deserve a better way to show what they’ve learned, and taxpayers deserve an end to these endless lawsuits," Bettencourt said.
Texas Special Session continues
What's next:
The bill now needs to be heard by the House of Representatives. The lower chamber has been stalled by an inability to meet quorum for the past two weeks, while many Texas Democrats remain out of state in an effort to prevent redistricting.
Thursday, the protesting Democrats said they planned to return to the state if certain conditions were met. Once a quorum is achieved, SB 8 will join several other items on the docket.
The current Special Session is set to end Aug. 19. Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will continue to call new sessions until Texas' congressional districts have been discussed by both chambers.
Bill to replace Texas STAAR test fails
Texas lawmakers failed to come to an agreement on a bill that would have replaced the STAAR test in the state.
Previous STAAR bill fails
The backstory:
House Bill 4, authored by state Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), would have replaced the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) with three shorter tests during the school year.
Under the bill, the tests would have been given out in October, from mid-January to early-February, and late May.
Different versions of the bill passed the House and Senate, but the two chambers could not agree on differences.
The Senate was pushing to keep a social studies test and for the Texas Education Agency commissioner to be able to set strict standards for school districts' letter-grade system.
The House wanted the state legislature to approve any changes to the A-F ratings made by the TEA.
The Source: Information in this report came from Sen. Paul Bettencourt's office and previous FOX reporting.