Lawmakers in Austin have reached a dead end on a bill that would’ve ended the STAAR test, the state's standardized test for public schools. As the Texas Newsroom’s Lucio Vasquez reports, the bill missed a key legislative deadline over the weekend, just as the legislative session wraps up later today.
House Bill 4 sought to replace STAAR with three shorter tests spread across the school year. But disagreements between the Texas House and Senate stalled progress on the proposal over the weekend. The Senate wanted to give the state education agency more control over school ratings, which rely heavily on STAAR test scores. The House, on the other hand, insisted the agency get lawmakers’ approval before making major changes. With no compromise reached, the bill stalled out. For now, the STAAR test remains the state’s primary tool to measure student performance in Texas public schools. I’m Lucio Vasquez in Houston.
Also over the weekend, including made last-minute changes to Senate Bill 13. That measure establishes a process for parents to challenge the books in their kids’ school libraries. The initial version of SB 13 the Texas House approved would’ve allowed challenged books to remain on the shelves until a decision was made. But in negotiations with the Senate on Saturday, that part was changed. Now books under review will be removed from school libraries. Lawmakers concerned over the change worried that the review process could lead to books being off the shelves for an entire school year. SB 13 now heads to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk.
