TEA COMMISSIONER: REMOTE STUDENTS WILL NOT NEED TO TAKE STAAR TEST

  

Students who are learning remotely will not be required to take the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam, per Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath.

In a virtual interview with the Texas Tribune Thursday, Morath said the state lacks the “logistical ability to do the STAAR remotely,” so families will have to send their children in person to take the exams.

However, Morath said parents who are worried about sending their children to school can choose to continue to learn remotely.  Since the state lacks the capability of doing the test remotely, he said those students will not take the exam.  He said the decision for students and their families is “not opting out of the STAAR test – it’s opting for remote instruction.”

Morath said the state did not cancel the STAAR test because schools need the data from students’ scores to measure their learning.

According to guidance released in January by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), school districts will be allowed to set up alternative testing sites outside of their home campus as long as the testing sessions can be monitored.  They will also be allowed to offer additional testing dates during the allowed testing window.