A Texas lawmaker who represents the 81st legislative district in the Odessa area has introduced a bill to effectively eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) testing program.
State Representative Brooks Landgraf has filed legislation to repeal the STAAR test by eliminating the requirement to use the exam as criteria for graduation or promotion.
In a release today, Landgraf says House Bill 736 seeks to eliminate current testing systems, like the STAAR test, from being used as high-stakes, one-sized-fits-all substitutes for real accountability measures.
“The state’s attempt to ensure academic readiness and hold school districts accountable for student achievement through standardized state-wide testing has failed,” Landgraf said.
Landgraf says the current system places too much emphasis on the test, forcing teachers to “teach to the test”, hindering their ability to develop creative and more effective means of presenting information to students.
“In my view, we should value teaching over testing,” Landgraf said. “This bill will allow us to get back to the basics of education so that Texas students are prepared for college, the workforce or the military when they graduate.”
The 86th Texas legislative session is underway and will run through May 27.
