Despite lower scores and more difficult test, district's students outperform state average in all categories and subject areas

The results of the first edition of the STAAR test at Conroe ISD were released last month, with the scores showing what many education leaders expected: a much more stringent test than TAKS and lower passing rates than the previous state assessment exam.

Public school students in Texas in grades 3 through 8 were issued the STAAR test for the first year in full in the fall of 2012. In each grade level and subject area, Conroe ISD students outperformed the state average. Of the 17 subject areas among grade levels, an average of 10.5 percent more Conroe ISD students than students statewide achieved a satisfactory passing grade.

"I think overall, [the students] responded as expected and rose to the level of expectations," said Chris Hines, superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Conroe ISD.

Although the district's students generally performed better than their statewide peers, they struggled to achieve the high scores previously seen in the TAKS administration. Of the same 17 subject areas, an average of 9.5 percent fewer Conroe ISD students met satisfactory passing rates on STAAR than they did on TAKS in 2011.

"Going in, we weren't really sure what to expect because it was a new test," Hines said. "The results confirmed what we anticipated: The STAAR is a much more difficult test."

According to the Texas Education Agency, "overall test difficulty will be increased by including more rigorous items. The rigor of items will be increased by assessing skills at a greater depth and level of cognitive complexity. In this way, the tests will be better able to measure the growth of higher-achieving students."

Following the announcement of the STAAR tests, and the comparatively lower scores that came with it, state lawmakers, such as Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, believe changes should be made to the testing program.

"We're over-testing kids right now," Toth said. "I don't care how good this system is, if none of the stakeholders buy into it, it's not going to work."