ODESSA, Texas — The conversation of replacing the STAAR test is back.
State Representative Brooks Landgraf, of Odessa, has filed bills to scrap the STAAR test.
"When it comes to the discussion about education policy, the thing that gets brought up most is the STAAR exam and our need to have something to replace it," said Landgraf.
Landgraf said he is not the only lawmaker who wants to get rid of the exam.
"STAAR is on a lot of peoples minds, and I just want my fellow West Texans to know that there are quite a few of us at the Texas Capitol who are working to find a better way to assess our schools and to measure accountability, because STAAR is just not cutting it," said Landgraf. "It’s a very expensive way to measure accountability, and it’s also, according to a lot of education experts, a fairly ineffective way to do that."
Landgraf has filed HB 1267, which relates to the academic assessment of public schools students. He has also a co-author on HB 4402, which relates to changes in high school graduation requirements and assessing the accountability rating system for schools and districts.
"A bill that will do precisely what we’re advocating for," said Landgraf. "It will lower the high stakes nature of STAAR, it will reduce the number of extra tests that would be administered and it helps bring our accountability system into better focus."
Ector County ISD Superintendent Dr. Scott Muri praised the lawmakers' the efforts.
"I applaud any effort to help us think differently about the way we assess students," said Muri.
"We would advocate for more measures, and a variety of measures at the elementary and middle school level, and then reduce the amount of testing," said Muri. "Not every child every year has to take that STAAR test, and certainly, we’d be for reduced testing in our system."
Landgraf is aware that federal law requires 10% of the public education budget to be spent on standardized testing. However, he believes the state can provide better options than the STAAR.
"There are very adequate replacements out there, better replacements that what we have currently, and I think that’s what we need to use to replace STAAR," said Landgraf. "It’s about making sure that we’re doing what’s best for students, teachers and for taxpayers."