Across all subjects and grades, an average of 79.3% of CISD third through eighth graders passed the exams—10.5% above the state average.
The overall number of students in CISD that passed their assessments was higher in spring 2022 than in spring 2021, following a dip in scores from 2019-21. Students were not tested in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More students were tested in 2022 than in 2021. In each subject and grade level, students' pass percentages were the same as, or higher, than the previous year, with the exception of fifth grade science.
The test with the largest year-to-year increase in passing scores was fourth grade reading. The lowest average test score in both 2021 and 2022 was seventh grade math. TEA officials said reading was the most significant increase across all levels, but students are not meeting prepandemic levels in math.
“The investments that the state is making in reading academies and accelerated instruction are clearly paying dividends for our students, and the results are a testament to the hard work of teachers across our state," Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a news release. "While we still have much work to do to recover from COVID[-19]-related learning loss in mathematics, the improvements our students have made in reading are clear."
Students who took the end-of-course assessments for algebra I, English I and II, and biology scored lower on average in 2022 than they did in 2021.
In spring 2023, the STAAR will move to a completely online format in accordance with House Bill 3906. The writing exam, which was not administered this year, will be administered as part of the reading and language arts assessment and not as a standalone test.
CISD officials were not immediately available for comment on the scores as of July 6.
