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State Testing » Additional State Testing Information

Additional State Testing Information

If a student is currently enrolled in one or more of the following courses: Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and US History, the student is REQUIRED to take the corresponding STAAR EOC exam. This decision was made by the U.S. Dept. of Education and was shared with school districts by the Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath. Commissioner’s letter

Students who must take the STAAR EOC:

  • Student is enrolled in one or more of the following courses for the current year (Alg. I, Eng. I, Eng. II, Biology, US History).
  • Student is not enrolled in the course currently, but:
    1. completed the course previously and 
    2. has not taken the corresponding STAAR EOC
 

The STAAR EOC exams are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Data from these exams will help the teachers, campuses and the district identify and take action on both strengths and areas of concern as students transition to subsequent courses.

NOTE: Students may use a qualifying score from a PSAT, SAT, ACT, etc. exam to meet graduation requirements; however, this does not exempt them for state and federal policy. (State & Federal Required Test Facts) Information regarding qualifying scores on a college readiness exam may be found in this chart. Graduation requirements may be found in the TX Administrative Code (TAC) §101.4002.

Questions regarding this policy change may be directed to your child’s campus counselor.

 
 
 
 
 

No. State law makes it clear that students may not opt-out of tests, including standardized tests. The complete Texas Education Code section 26.010 states:

 

EXEMPTION FROM INSTRUCTION. (a) A parent is entitled to remove the parent’s child temporarily from a class or other school activity that conflicts with the parent’s religious or moral beliefs if the parent presents or delivers to the teacher of the parent’s child a written statement authorizing the removal of the child from the class or other school activity. A parent is not entitled to remove the parent’s child from a class or other school activity to avoid a test or to prevent the child from taking a subject for an entire semester.

(b) This section does not exempt a child from satisfying grade level or graduation requirements in a manner acceptable to the school district and the agency.

Yes, it is required by various state and federal laws. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/state-and-federal-required-tests.pdf

Yes. Students are subject to compulsory attendance and may commit the offense of failure to attend school, and a parent may commit the offense of contributing to nonattendance if the student fails to attend school. (Texas Education Code §§ 25.093, .094)

 

Makeup Tests: It is important to note that missing school on a single designated test date will not necessarily cause the student to have missed his or her testing opportunity. Most tests are administered from a testing “window” set by TEA. If a student who has been absent returns to school during the testing window, he or she may be asked to sit for the exam at that time. Makeup test dates that extend beyond the test window are in place for most STAAR tests.

Yes. Students are encouraged to do their best on a testing day but are not required to complete the test. All eligible students present at school on a test date must be included in the test administration. Campus officials are required to submit a test score code for every student, in accordance with TEA test administration guideline