The STAAR test is entirely online this year and will once again be used in the aftermath of the pandemic to close schools, takeover districts, shame children and worsen inequalities.

Apparently the TEA Deputy Commissioner Lily Laux believes that there are no high stakes associated with STAAR.

In an interview with KHOU, she states that “the test...is not something they should stress (about) as they get ready for the assessment this spring," Laux said.

"The main one (tip) is just remind (them), there's no pressure on this for their student. This is not something that's high-stakes and this is something where they should really just take a deep breath and do their best," Laux said.

Methinks she doth protest too much. 

The STAAR is definitely high stakes in Texas. Texas is one of only 11 states to require standardized testing for graduation and one of only a few states to use A-F accountability ratings based almost entirely on standardized testing. Non-English speaking immigrants must take the STAAR even though research indicates that it takes five years to gain language fluency. STAAR is used to takeover school districts like Houston ISD, close schools, fire teachers, and shame children. 

If not STAAR, then what? CVPE supports limited, low-stakes diagnostic testing but NOT high-stakes standardized testing. Low stakes testing does not penalize anyone and is used to know how a student is learning, where to provide more resources, and is limited in its use so as to allow for meaningful instruction. 

That is why Texas parents have boycotted the STAAR test in years past and are boycotting it today. Read more about boycotting the STAAR at optouttexas.org. There is a short powerpoint here.

You can email your concerns to Morath at [email protected], Texas Education Agency Deputy Commissioner Laux at [email protected] and to the KHOU News Tips at [email protected]. 

Our vote matters. Register your friends and get to the polls this year, next year and every year after that. Democracy matters.