Texas high school students made gains in every subject from algebra to U.S. history, results from state tests released Wednesday show.
The STAAR end-of-course exams tested students in Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II and U.S. History this spring – and measured whether they are ready for college, a career or the military.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath credited the gains to focused instruction and high expectations.
“These results may also be reflective of the Legislature’s ban of cell phone use in classrooms, so that students are better able to stay focused on their schoolwork while at school,” he said in a statement.
The partial release of STAAR results showed about 54% of students who tested in Algebra I demonstrated they had the skills appropriate for their grade level, up from 47% last year. Even so, students have yet to recover from math learning losses during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, biology rebounded to pre-pandemic levels with 71% of students meeting grade level this spring — a 9 percentage-point increase from the previous year.
Performance in English saw smaller wins. The share of students meeting grade level rose from 51% to 55% in English I and from 56% to 60% in English II.
Among English language learners, students with disabilities and children from low-income families, the percentage of those meeting grade level also increased in every end-of-course test subject area.
Students must pass the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness’ end-of-course tests to graduate from a Texas high school. Some middle schoolers taking the upper-level classes must also take the end-of-course exams.
As part of a phasing out of STAAR, students will no longer take the English II end-of-year test starting in the 2027-28 school year. State lawmakers overhauled Texas’ exams as a response to widespread complaints from teachers and families about overtesting.
This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.
