The Texas House gave near-unanimous initial approval on Tuesday to House Bill 4, which would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, a high-stakes standardized exam used to evaluate student learning and teacher performance in public schools.
The bill, which aims to replace STAAR with a shorter, nationally comparative test, now faces a skeptical Senate as lawmakers race to reconcile differences before the legislative session ends June 2.
HB 4, authored by Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), would require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to adopt a new test focused on early grades, administered at the start, middle, and end of the school year to guide instruction.
“It is time to rebuild trust in our system, and HB 4 does just that. It is time for assessments to inform instruction in a real-time manner,” Buckley said, per The Texas Tribune. “We need to make testing just another day at school.”
The House proposal, unlike the Senate’s, would grade students by comparing their performance to national peers rather than using a rigid scale. Supporters say this move better measures progress, but critics argue it obscures grade-level mastery.
The STAAR test, a key metric in the state’s A-F school accountability ratings, has drawn criticism for its rigor and the classroom time spent on preparation.
“When you’re spending 17–18 days in preparation for that one test that one day, you are gobbling up valuable instruction time. This will reduce that time and make it more student-centered and teacher-centered,” Buckley said, per Fox 4 KDFW.
Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) added, “Parents and Texans across the state have lost faith in an accountability system that’s just gone astray, and this is setting us back to fairness,” Fox 4 reported.
“How Texas handles school accountability currently does not work. Our kids are over-tested and our teachers are overworked,” testified Nikki Cowart, president of the Cy-Fair American Federation of Teachers chapter, last month.
Poor STAAR-based ratings can trigger state sanctions, including takeovers, as some Austin ISD schools, like Dobie Middle School, now face.
The House bill, which passed after public testimony and closed-door meetings, diverges from Senate Bill 1962, which the Senate approved last month. Both propose replacing STAAR with shorter tests but differ on timelines and accountability. The House wants the new test by fall 2025, meaning no STAAR next school year if Gov. Greg Abbott signs it, while the Senate prefers 2028 to allow TEA more development time.
The House also introduces new A-F rating metrics, like teacher training and workforce class completion, and requires legislative approval for major rating changes, following lawsuits over TEA’s hasty rating adjustments. The Senate, conversely, strengthens TEA’s authority over ratings and limits districts’ ability to sue, with restrictions on legal fees and increased oversight for challengers.
“What [HB 4] does is remove testing from being the center of gravity for the year, the way that it is now,” said Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio). “The days of teaching to the test, if this passes, are over. What we’ve done here is create something that is much more of a tool than a test.”
Yet, Buckley acknowledged Senate resistance.
“There are different opinions,” he said. “But I believe this. I believe that it is consistent throughout this chamber and the chamber to the East, that one test one day is not the future for Texas.”
The Senate also advanced Senate Bill 2619 on Tuesday, mandating elections for all school board trustees in districts with consecutive F ratings. With the House and Senate proposals at odds, lawmakers must bridge the gap in the session’s final weeks to overhaul Texas’ testing and accountability systems.