On April 14 the Senate Committee on Education met to take up two interim charges regarding the STAAR assessments program and House Bill 5 (83rd R). Invited witnesses included state agency representatives, the chair of the State Board of Education, public school personnel, industry representatives, association representatives and parent groups.
Committee members expressed concern about the percentage of students who are not on track to graduate from high school and explored reasons why that might be the case. Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) reminded committee members that her question from last session remains unanswered: Do the STAAR exams reflect the curriculum that educators are expected to teach? Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) expressed concern that Texas educators are still being asked to teach to a test. She also pointed out that the STAAR test is significantly harder than previous standardized tests. Passing standards should take this fact into account.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick (R-Houston) noted there is a critical shortage of teachers who are teaching within their specific discipline, including teachers in charter schools. Senator Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) asked for more details about a possible shortage of individuals who have the necessary teaching degrees, or perhaps degreed individuals who are simply choosing not to teach.
School superintendents explained that while no legislation is perfect, House Bill 5 has significantly altered the conversations within their schools. Parents and students are actively participating in college and career plans. Meanwhile, parent representatives explained that there is more work to be done regarding our current testing system, specifically pertaining to the number and length of standardized tests.