The overview
Results for the spring STAAR were released Aug. 16. The data, which breaks up how many students passed and failed, shows AISD improved in nearly every test compared to its results the previous year.
The district also had a higher rate of students passing every exam, not including Spanish-based ones, compared to its region’s average and the state average.
The results are the first since the state’s new redesign of the STAAR went into effect. Those changes stem from a bill, House Bill 3906, that was passed in 2019.
Along with the redesign, school districts will see changes in how their accountability grades are scored. Those results will come out in September.
By the numbers
AISD saw improvement in nearly all non-Spanish exams when comparing spring 2023 to spring 2022, according to the data.
The rate at which students passed reading exams was similar to last year, with the biggest passing rate increase coming in sixth grade reading, according to the data.
The district also improved its passing rate in each of its five end-of-course exams, which include Algebra 1, biology, English 1 and 2, and U.S. history, according to the data.
A closer look
In terms of the rate of students passing, AISD was closer to the region averages compared to some of its neighboring districts, such as Pearland ISD and Friendswood ISD, but still had higher rates than the region.
In math, AISD had higher passing rates at every grade level except for fifth grade, according to the data. For reading, AISD had higher passing rates at each grade level. This was also the case for each end-of-course exam as well.
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.”
