The Texas Education Agency said STAAR test results are expected to be released next week, but the head of TEA said they're concerned it's not looking good.
"I would say the preliminary look is every bit as problematic that we thought that they could be given the information sources that we got over the course of the school year," said Mike Morath, TEA Commissioner.
He said during Wednesday's meeting that they're looking at ways to modify their systems across all 1,200 school systems to increase the rate of accelerating learning to catch students up.
"The pandemic impacted us too much, especially in my kid's education," said Sara Caballero, mother to three students. "Three of my children, they failed math."
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Caballero like many parents felt the strain of virtual learning.
The disruption of 2020 is feared to have caused many students to lag behind in their grade level. TEA estimates students lost about six months of instructional learning during the pandemic, and suspect the upcoming STAAR exam results reflect just that.
"We have been contacted right and left from parents who just have those concerns about their child not being on grade level," said Stacey Tardif, the operations manager at Frog Tutoring, which is based in Fort Worth.
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She said they've been working with families to help get their kids back on track and offering summer tutoring programs.
"Just the volume we did in the last year is a direct reflection of where our society for education is," said Tardif.
A top concern remains the long-term impact the past year will have on students, specifically when it comes to math and reading skills. For now, parents like Caballero are doing what they can to support their kids and glad school will be in person this next school year.
