Results Are in for First STAAR tests
Texas students took the new STARR test for the first time this year. They did well in some sciences, but less well in English writing and reading. Photo by Rune Mathisen/Texas Tribune Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Texas Education Agency has released statewide scores of its new standardized test, the STAAR exam, and the results are a mixed bag.
Ab0ut 319,000 public school kids across Texas took the STAAR test, which is supposed to be more rigorous than the TAKS exam it replaced this school year. And when it came to the English I writing exam, just over half of Texas students passed. English I reading wasn’t much better – one out of every three students who took that test failed.
But when it came to biology, algebra and world geography – more than 80 percent passed each test. The passing percentages were 87, 83 and 81, respectively. The scores for individual districts have not been released yet. And those won’t count this year because the state is phasing in the new exam.
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