Because of Harvey, Texas Education Commissioner Gives Some Students Break on Testing
December 15, 2017
By: Laura Isensee
Source: Houston Public Media
The Texas Education Commissioner has taken his first steps to relax some testing and accountability rules in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.
In a notice to school districts Thursday, Commissioner Mike Morath announced that students in the fifth and eighth grades won’t be automatically held back if they don’t pass the state standardized exam. That’s if their counties were declared federal disaster zones because of Harvey. Typically, those students have to retest and pass the test, known as the STAAR, in order to move on to the next grade and have their status reviewed by a committee.
The change drew cheers at the Houston school board meeting Thursday night.
But Superintendent Richard Carranza quickly noted the state accountability system remains in place — and that the Houston school board still faces the threat of state takeover if it doesn’t improve its chronically failing schools this year.
“This is not, this is not a pause on accountability for schools affected by Harvey,” Carranza told the board.
In fact, Morath also told superintendents that testing will start as planned in the spring and follow the current schedule.
That’s one reason why some see his decision as a publicity move…