What you need to know
Results for the spring STAAR were released Aug. 16, and FISD had a higher rate of students pass compared to both its region’s average and the state average. FISD sits in Region 4, which contains nearly 50 school districts.
The test results came out later than usual due to it being the first year a new redesign of the test was implemented. The redesign stems from a bill, House Bill 3906, that passed in 2019.
Along with the redesign, school districts will also see changes in how they are graded on overall accountability. Those grades are expected to come out in September, according to the Texas Education Agency.
By the numbers
Students who took third grade math and fifth grade science approached grade level, or passed, 87% of the time in FISD, while 78% of students passed eighth grade social studies, according to the released results. The rest of the tests, not including Spanish-based ones, had at least 90% of students pass in FISD.
The highest rate of passing in the district was the state’s end-of-course biology exam, which 99% of FISD students passed, according to the data.
It’s another year that FISD in many instances scored north of 90% on nearly every exam, as the passing rates are identical to the district’s spring 2022 scores.While the passing rate for some exams, such as third grade math and fifth grade science, dropped by a few percentage points, FISD either had identical or higher passing rates for the rest of the tests, according to the data.
In an Aug. 16 news release, the TEA noted the state’s results for reading and math remain unchanged compared to last year and noted “significant effects of the pandemic still linger” in math. More emergent bilingual students passed in both subjects.
What they’re saying
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said he recommended parents look at the STAAR report card for their own individual children.
“Teachers across Texas continue to work with passion and skill to help students learn,” Morath said in the release. “This year’s results show the efforts of our educators continue to deliver improved results for students.”
