Technical issues halt STAAR testing for thousands, impacting local students Jenni Lee Replay Video UP NEXT Technical issues canceled STAAR, or State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, testing for thousands of students across the state on Tuesday. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) said connectivity issues caused the disruptions on day one of the five-day testing period. The problems only affected students taking the online version of STAAR, students like Susan Breedlove's two sons. "I am the parent of two sons, both 15 years old, one at McNeil High School and one at Early College High School, both at Round Rock," Breedlove said.