The Texas Education Agency (“TEA”) announced on December 10, 2020, that despite the ongoing challenges with COVID-19, the STAAR testing will continue, but campuses and districts will not be assigned an A-F rating based on the test results for this school year.

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath released the following statement:

“The issuance of A-F ratings for schools has proven to be a valuable tool to support continuous improvement for our students, allowing educators, parents, and the general public to better identify and expand efforts that are working for kids. But the pandemic has disrupted school operations in fundamental ways that have often been outside the control of our school leaders, making it far more difficult to use these ratings as a tool to support student academic growth. As a result, we will not issue A-F ratings this school year.”

Of particular importance – for school districts that incorporate STAAR testing results into teacher evaluations, TEA is allowing that component to be removed for this school year.

If you have any questions regarding STAAR testing, evaluations, or the suspension of accountability grades, please contact one of our attorneys at (214) 544 4000.