House bill proposes new standardized test

A Texas House bill would eliminate the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness test and replace it with a test comparing students’ performance to one another rather than state-set standards, the Austin American- Statesman reported.

House Bill 4 would also create benchmark tests to measure students’ academic performance throughout the year.

Superintendents from across the state testified in support of HB4 at a committee hearing last week.

The bill was unanimously approved in committee and The bill’s sponsor is state Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado. He said testing would require a quick turnaround to give parents and teachers faster feedback about student performance.

“I want that experience and the ability for their teachers to deliver that information back to moms and dads so that we can get that type of support, because the teachers can’t do it alone,” Buckley said.

The existing STAAR test has become a flashpoint for many school districts, prompting numerous lawsuits and complaints that the existing system overpenalizes districts with less than optimal test scores.