Texas high school students’ STAAR scores show gains in STEM fields, struggles in reading and literacy

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Partial results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam released on Tuesday show that high school students made gains in algebra and biology, which education policy analysts celebrated as a step in the right direction as Texas tries to shift toward a more STEM-focused workforce.

But the data also shows students continue to struggle in English and U.S. history, which experts said underscored the need for a renewed focus on reading and literacy.

The STAAR exam gauges if high-schoolers are meeting grade-level proficiency in those subjects and if they need additional help.

The students who took the standardized test this past spring and met grade-level expectations in Algebra I was 47%, up two percentage points from last year.

“Success in Algebra I is super predictive of post-secondary attainment, credential attainment, and post-secondary success, and so therefore long-term wages,” said Gabriel Grantham, a policy adviser with Texas 2036.

During the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers approved Senate Bill 2124, a bill aimed at increasing math proficiency, but it’s unclear how those efforts might have contributed to students’ gain in algebra this year. Research shows that student enrollment in high-level math courses is directly connected to post-secondary career advancements.

This year, the percentage of students who met grade-level expectations in biology went up to 62%, five percentage points higher than last year. Economically disadvantaged students, students receiving special education services and emergent bilingual students, also saw small gains in the subject.

But the results also mean that nearly half of students taking biology are still not meeting grade level, Grantham said.

“We are always excited about growth, but we always have to take stock of where we actually are,” he said. “We want to be No. 1 in education and this is kind of like the line in the sand. It says, ‘OK, we need to move forward and we need to move upward from here.’”

Students meeting grade level in English I was down to 51%, three percentage points lower than last year. Additionally, the percentage of students meeting grade level in English II dropped to 56%, four percentage points lower than last year.

High school students who tested for U.S. history also saw a slight decline in grade-level proficiency down one percentage point from 69% last year.

During this year’s legislative session, lawmakers tried to scrap the STAAR test but were unsuccessful. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have long criticized the standardized test for taking valuable instructional time away from teachers.

STAAR results for grades 3-8 are expected to be released next week.

Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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