Standardized test passage rates declined among grades 3-8 year over year in Tomball and Magnolia ISDs, according to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness results released June 14.
What you need to know
The state and districts did not see much improvement in the rates of students approaching grade level—which is considered passing—in reading and math between the spring 2023 and spring 2024 administrations of the STAAR.
The STAAR was redesigned in 2023, and there were new changes implemented in how tests were graded in 2024. In 2019, House Bill 3906 mandated a redesign of the state's standardized test, which was administered online from that point. The new test also emphasized writing skills and a larger variety of questions, according to the Texas Education Agency’s website.
The 2024 tests were graded almost exclusively by computers, which had human oversight, in an effort by the state to save money and make the grading system more efficient, according to the TEA.
Families can access their children’s results at www.texasassessment.gov.
The specifics
Statewide, students are still struggling with their math scores, and the decrease in math proficiency can be attributed to learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the June 14 TEA news release. The decline in math scores is also seen in TISD and MISD as the districts also struggle to bring scores back to prepandemic levels.
Other than fourth grade reading and eighth grade math, MISD saw a decrease in passage rates across grades 3-8. Denise Meyers, MISD’s executive director of communications and public relations, said overall the district performed consistently.
“Magnolia ISD results were consistent with state trends. We improved the gap between us and the state in approaches and meets but not master. Overall, we experienced a net gain when combining all tests,” Meyers said.
In fifth and sixth grade reading, and eighth grade math, TISD saw a decrease across passage rates, with eighth grade math passage rates decreasing by 11 percentage points.
“We are particularly proud of the outstanding achievements in reading and language arts for grades 3-8 as well as English I and II. These results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers and staff. Tomball ISD continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to academic excellence and is proud to maintain its position as a top-performing district in the region in all content areas,” TISD Chief Academic Officer Michael Webb said in a statement.
