Borderland students adjust as STAAR test changes

Students in the Borderland and across the state of Texas are taking this year’s STAAR, or “State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness” test, now in it’s fourth year. Some changes are meant to make the test less stressful, but they also come with tougher requirements.

So are schools and students concerned about the increasing standards? Students at Coronado High School in the El Paso Independent School District said they feel ready.

“Coronado I feel like really prepares us for state testing as well as AP testing so I think we’ll be okay,” one student said.

Some of the big things this year are shorter writing assessment tests for fourth and seventh grades, done in response to concerns about student stress from multi-day testing, and higher requirements for test scores overall getting phased in.

The Socorro ISD has also been preparing its schools for the change.

“We think that it is a good thing that the testing has been reduced,” said Kelly McBain, the SISD director for assessment. “They’re writing one essay this year as opposed to two, and that has been taxing on our students to be able to complete two essays in two days.”

At schools like East Point Elementary in the Ysleta Independent School District, faculty and staff have been focused on readiness and making the test more fun and less stressful for students. But some concern always lingers in the minds of teachers and parents.

“Of course you’re worried! I mean, it’s a big deal,”said Dana Boyd, the principal at East Point. “I have a ninth-grader who’s taking the test today as an end-of-course exam for ninth grade. So as a mom, of course you’re, ‘is she going to pass, is she not going to pass?’ But it’s not about one test. It’s that on that day you know your students and we’ve assessed throughout the year, we’ve prepared and we’ve taught the standards. There really shouldn’t be any surprises on that test when it comes because if you’ve done what you’re supposed to do, and I tell my teachers all the time, if you do what you’re supposed to do and prepare the students for what they have, there shouldn’t be any surprises.”