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TEA releases statewide STAAR passing rates
By Andrew Snyder, asnyder@starlocalnews.com, @asnyder_scn on Twitter
The Texas Education Agency released statewide passing rates for the first round of STAAR testing on Tuesday.
The results covered tests taking by grades 3-8 in 2012.
Eighth-grade students provided the test's highest and lowest passing rates, turning in an 80 percent passing rate on the reading section and a 59 percent passing rate in social studies. The reading test had the highest passing rate when averaged across age groups.
The TEA said the social studies scores may be explained by the inclusion of new curriculum and more primary source test questions than were featured in the TAKS test, the state's previous end-of-course exam.
“We have set the bar higher with a more rigorous test, and our students and teachers are already on a path to meeting those higher expectations,” Michael Williams, commissioner of education, said in a press release. “I have no doubt results in future years will continue to improve but only if our state elects to keep the focus on educating every child in every classroom in every district across Texas.”
Students passed most sections of the test at a 70 percent passing rate or greater. The three sections that fell below that mark were the eighth-grade social studies and third- and fourth-grade mathematics, both of which came in at 68 percent.
A complete list of statewide tests results follows:
3rd grade: Reading (76 percent), Mathematics (68 percent)
4th grade: Reading (77 percent), Mathematics (68 percent), Writing (71 percent)
5th grade: Reading (77 percent), Mathematics (77 percent), Science (73 percent)
6th grade: Reading (75 percent), Mathematics (77 percent)
7th grade: Reading (76 percent), Mathematics (71 percent), Writing (71 percent)
8th grade: Reading (80 percent), Mathematics (76 percent), Science (70 percent), Social Studies (59 percent)
The results covered tests taking by grades 3-8 in 2012.
Eighth-grade students provided the test's highest and lowest passing rates, turning in an 80 percent passing rate on the reading section and a 59 percent passing rate in social studies. The reading test had the highest passing rate when averaged across age groups.
The TEA said the social studies scores may be explained by the inclusion of new curriculum and more primary source test questions than were featured in the TAKS test, the state's previous end-of-course exam.
“We have set the bar higher with a more rigorous test, and our students and teachers are already on a path to meeting those higher expectations,” Michael Williams, commissioner of education, said in a press release. “I have no doubt results in future years will continue to improve but only if our state elects to keep the focus on educating every child in every classroom in every district across Texas.”
Students passed most sections of the test at a 70 percent passing rate or greater. The three sections that fell below that mark were the eighth-grade social studies and third- and fourth-grade mathematics, both of which came in at 68 percent.
A complete list of statewide tests results follows:
3rd grade: Reading (76 percent), Mathematics (68 percent)
4th grade: Reading (77 percent), Mathematics (68 percent), Writing (71 percent)
5th grade: Reading (77 percent), Mathematics (77 percent), Science (73 percent)
6th grade: Reading (75 percent), Mathematics (77 percent)
7th grade: Reading (76 percent), Mathematics (71 percent), Writing (71 percent)
8th grade: Reading (80 percent), Mathematics (76 percent), Science (70 percent), Social Studies (59 percent)
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