CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — House Bill 8 replaces the STAAR test — shifting from one large end-of-year exam to a three-part test given throughout the school year.
Back in August, I told you about how educators and students were bracing for possible changes to the end of the year STAAR test as House Bill 8 made its way through the state senate.
At the time, many said:
"But there's so much unknown," Rhonda Garcia, Director of Curriculum and Assessment, West Oso ISD, said.
Fast forward to now — the bill has passed.
And while state leaders say the new three-part testing system will help students, some local educators aren't convinced.
"We have people at the state level, who are not educators, who are making these decisions, and they think they know what it takes to be able to teach a child," Nancy Vera, President, Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers, said.
Nancy Vera, the President for the Corpus Christi American Federation of Teachers has taught in the classroom for over three decades.
She questions whether more testing actually means more learning.
"It's ridiculous. When do you have time to teach? Because you're always testing," Vera said.
I spoke with CCISD's Chief Officer for Accountability and Student Support Services, Sonia Zyla, to ask that exact question.
"We schedule in a way that can maximize instructional time," Sonia Zyla, Chief Officer, CCISD, said.
The law also bans practice exams. Zyla says districts will have to adjust.
"With the new state implementing, we will have to pull back," Zyla said.
She says she understands the concern for what's to come, but now that the law is officially on the books:
"We'll be ready for it, we'll make ensure our teachers are ready, and our parents are informed," Zyla said.
But Vera says she would much rather go without standardized testing as a whole.
"The best thing the state can do is leave teaching up to the teachers," Vera said.
The new testing system won't officially take effect until the 2027-2028 school year.
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