Texas Halts STAAR Testing Amid Coronavirus Threat

AUSTIN, TX — In light of the emergence of the new coronavirus, the Texas Education Agency has canceled standardized STAAR testing for the 2019-20 school year, officials said on Monday.

State-mandated STAAR testing assesses students' profiency in reading, writing and math. A growing call for social distancing as a tactic to avoid illness spread coupled with school schedule disruptions caused by the respiratory ailment outbreak led to the testing suspension.

On Twitter, Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed the move: "We will continue to empower schools to make the best decisions to protect their communities from COVID-19," he wrote on Monday.

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The action also comes after a bipartisan request for the Texas Education Agency to cancel the STAAR test this year given the emergence of the new corinavirus, known as COVID-19 — a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have sparked outbreaks in the past.

A growing list of school districts across the U.S. — including the Austin ISD and its Central Texas counterparts — have canceled classes and/or extended the spring break period in light of the growing illness threat.

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath expounded on the move to cancel STAAR testing this academic year. "During this unprecedented public health challenge, we at TEA are doing all we can to support our schools and local commjnities," he wrote. "Given the need for social distancing, schools across the state are closing normal opeartions, and working to support learning while students remain home."

While stressing the importance of STAAR testing in gauging academic proficienies, Morath noted the logistical challenges to conduct the assessment given coronavirus-caused disruptions: "In normal times, STAAR serves as an invaluable tool to accuately and reliably diagnose how well students have learned to read, write and do math," he wrote. "This year, though, it has become apparent that schools will be unable to administer STAAR as they would normally."

The suspension of testing is the latest accommodation being made in the face of the growing outbreak, Morath said: "TEA has already waived a host of regulations, allowing schools to quickly pivot to provide instruction and support in ways they never have before."

To counter the disruptions, the education commissioner pointed to myriad resources to which students can avail themselves: "The educators we have been working with across the state remain concerned about the possible impact COVID-19 will have on student academic growth. TEA will continue to suppport them in every way we can, including ensuring the availability of free tools to diagnose student learning."

The importance of such resources have been heightened amid COVID-19 outbreak, he suggested: "This will be just as necessary moving forward as it has been, so our dedicated Texas educators have the tools necessary to ensure all of our students continue to grow in to the best versions of themselves, both during and beyond our current public health challenge."