STAAR themed decorations adorn the hallways of Wharton Elementary School in Wharton on April 21, 2018. Lawmakers failed to approve a bill to eliminate the STAAR test during the legislative session. (Pu Ying Huang For The Texas Tribune, Pu Ying Huang For The Texas Tribune)
The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 8, a bill that will make several changes to education in public schools across the state, namely replacing the STARR exam and restoring A-F public school accountability ratings.
SB 8 was proposed was proposed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston and passed in a 22-6-2 bipartisan vote.
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The key reforms of SB 8 include the following:
Replace the STAAR test with three shorter tests. The three tests will be administered at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. The three exams are intended to have faster results (in 48 hours) and allow educators to have more time to teach.
Require annual A-F school ratings. The bill will also ban “not rated” designations statewide.
Refresh cut scores every five years. This is intended to solidify Texas’ ranking as a “Top Five” state in 15 years.
Prohibit taxpayer-funded lawsuits against state over accountability ratings.
The bill is also identical to HB 8 proposed by House Public Education Chair, Rep. Brad Buckley.
“Texas parents deserve to know how their schools are doing, schools deserve a better way to show what they’ve learned, and taxpayers deserve an end to these endless lawsuits,” Sen. Bettencourt said in a statement announcing SB 8’s passing.
The bill will now head to the Texas House of Representatives.
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Michael is a Kingwood native who loves visiting local restaurants and overreacting to Houston sports. He joined the KPRC 2 family in 2024. He earned his BA from Texas A&M University in 2022 and his MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023.