The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released some of the STAAR test scores for the 2022-2023 school year on Friday, which showed little if any improvement over the previous year.
In a news release, TEA claimed that the state’s public schools were showing “progress and continued academic recovery” in the wake of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I appreciate the dedication and skill of Texas educators as they work to meet the needs of their students every day,” said TEA 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 published scores were for Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History end-of-course assessments. Looking at the metric for students who performed at grade level on their exams, there was only one assessment with scores that showed notable improvement.
Compared to the 2021-2022 school year, the percentage of students scoring at grade level in Algebra I ticked by 1%. Biology scores stayed the same, with only 57% scoring at grade level. English I saw a 6% bump over last year. English II declined by 1%, and U.S. History held at 71%.
When comparing the latest scores to the spring of 2019, before the pandemic-related disruptions, only English I and II assessments saw improvements. Scores for Algebra I, Biology, and U.S. History are still significantly below where they were four years ago.
Still, some positive indicators could be found in the 2022-2023 round of testing.
“Results remained positive for students served in Special Education and students who are Emergent Bilingual, with intensive tutoring supports and robust online accommodations afforded by the STAAR redesign helping continue this trend. The number of students served in these two areas saw an increase in meeting grade level or remained steady across all subjects,” reads the new release.