The trend is similar statewide, which also saw passing rates dip, data shows.
The gist
The state and district only saw improvement in fourth-grade reading based on the rates of students approaching grade level, which is considered passing, between spring 2023 and spring 2024, according to STAAR data from the Texas Education Agency, or TEA.
For math, grades three-eight saw declines based on the rates of students approaching grade level within the district and state. TEA officials noted in a June 14 news release the decrease in math proficiency could be attributed to learning loss following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite CCISD having declining passage rates, the state saw a larger dip in overall passing rates, except in eighth-grade math and seventh-grade reading, according to STAAR data.
Diving in deeper
While the district passage rates declined compared to last year, CCISD traditionally has higher passage rates than the state. The district’s scores surpassed the state’s in 2024 as well, data shows.
“Our district performance remains above the state on all STAAR tests, grades [three to eight],” Susan Silva, CCISD’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, said in an Aug. 16 email. “We are fortunate in CCISD to have some of the best leaders and teachers in Texas, and we are excited to continue growing our students in the 2024-25 school year.”
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What else?
The 2024 STAAR tests were graded almost entirely by computers in an effort by the state to save money and make the grading system more efficient, according to a March presentation by the TEA.
Other changes to the STAAR test occurred in 2019 when House Bill 3906 mandated a redesign of the state’s standardized test. Some of the updates included:
- State assessments now being required to be administered online
- The addition of nonmultiple choice questions, and a “multiple choice cap,” in which 75% of points on the test can be based on multiple choice questions
- The addition of evidence-based writing to write responses based on a reading passage in STAAR Reading Language Arts assessments
