DALLAS (1080 KRLD) - Teachers say standardized tests have taken the fun out of teaching. Now, they say, instead of educating, they are teaching to the test. The test they are talking about the STAAR tests, the end-of-course tests that high school students have to take in order to graduate.
Now state Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, says he wants to see fewer standardized tests and wants to give school districts the authority to assess students in the way they see fit.
If passed, Krause's House Bill 2113, or the Student Testing and Assessment Reform Act, would cut STAAR tests that aren't federally required. That would mean removing writing tests in fourth and seventh grades and a social studies test required in eighth grade.
It also says the STAAR test would not be required for high school students in order to graduate. Instead, school districts could use other tests such as the ACT or ACT scores or Texas approved assessment tests to determine if students are ready to move forward.
Krause says he worked with Rick Westphall, superintendent of Keller School district, to create the bill.
Krause says standardized testing has become too "high stakes" because it can determine whether a student passes to the next grade and teachers are judged on how many students pass the test.
Should it pass, students entering the ninth grade during the 2019-2020 school year would be subject to the new rules and have fewer standardized tests.
Krause says the bill will go before the public education committee. He has high hopes they can get the bill to the House floor and then the Senate.