Some Texas Families Feel Pressure to Take STAAR No Matter What

Some parents whose children missed class during STAAR testing this week say they feel bullied by educators who showed up at homes unannounced or threatened to put high-achieving students in summer school.The anecdotal reports come as educators face increasing pressure to get students to perform well on the high-stakes tests, which determine how a school is graded by the state, and can factor into whether a principal remains at a campus, how a teacher is evaluated and what resources are given to a school.It’s just the latest in growing frustrations over the controversial State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, tests. Last year, the assessments were marred by computer glitches, delivery problems and other chaos. Now lawmakers in Austin are tinkering with a new A-F grading system trying to determine just how much STAAR scores should play a role as public school advocates push back against such ratings.  Continue reading...