The decision mirrors recent requests by key superintendents from around Texas including superintendents in Dallas and Fort Worth ISDs who wrote a letter to Education Commissioner Mike Morath, asking that the state give the tests, but not count the grades.
The annual assessments will give schools, teachers and parents key insight into how students have performed academically during the coronavirus pandemic and help policymakers craft solutions for the years ahead, the TEA said in a news release. School leaders are asking the state to issue the STAAR test despite the pandemic. NBC 5 education reporter Wayne Carter reports superintendents say they desperately need the test scores to know where students are academically this year more than ever.