STAAR testing has face lift in 2023

This past week students across San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District began STAAR testing. There are changes in the 2023 test though that will affect each student. According to the Texas Education Agency website, the STAAR test redesign more closely aligns the exams with classroom learning.

For example, the multiple choice questions now resemble more of the material students encounter everyday in the classroom. There are cross-curricular passages in the tests that reference background knowledge learned in other subject areas. The reading and language arts portions now include what is called evidence-based writing.To accommodate students, the new tests include certain online assessments designed to assist students in demonstrating their knowledge in a way not previously offered.

The STAAR redesign is a direct result of House Bill 3906 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2019, the website stated. The bill contained various components related to the administration as well as the content of the exam, with an increased input from teachers and heightened flexibility for test administration as part of the process.

Changes in the STAAR tests reflected a consensus in the legislature that the tests were not an adequate measure of what was taught yearly in the classroom.

In order to meet the bill’s requirement for increased input from educators, the TEA established an Assessment Educator Advisory Committee composed of curriculum experts, school leadership and those experienced in offering educational support to special populations. The committees and subcommittees regularly meet to discuss bill initiatives and advise the TEA and the commissioner on appropriate assessment tools.

The bill also required that assessments transition to online only, with specific learning accommodations automatically applied for each individual case. Accommodations include speech to text and calculation aids. Online testing provides the opportunity for immediate feedback and improved testing operations.

Test designers stated that they have limited the amount of multiple- choice items, requiring that no more than 75 percent of the total questions be in this category and that meant the addition of new item types.

Also, for 4th and 7th grades the standalone writing assessments were eliminated and replaced with cross-curricular passages that help assess the new language arts and reading Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills which has students writing in response to a reading selection. This rubric focuses on language conventions and idea development, with the students writing in informational, argumentative or correspondence modes.

The bill required the availability of interim tests so that educators can assess student performance and monitor progress. Free and optional interim assessments are available for all grades subject to STAAR testing.

The bill gave rise to a through-year assessment pilot that could eventually replace a single summative assessment model. It features three progress monitoring exams throughout the school year. The benefits that come with more frequent assessments throughout the school year versus one exam are that there is more frequent feedback throughout the year and the potential for growth data as opposed to previous years..

For more information and to find resources to support the new question types go to https:// tea.texas.gov/student-assessment/ assessment-initiatives/ hb-3906/staar- redesign.