Texas Senate Agrees on Education Bill – Students to take Fewer Standardized Tests

For years one of the biggest complaints Texas teachers have had is the huge emphasis the state puts on standardized testing. The constant pressure to prepare students for tests such as the STAAR test, didn’t allow them to do what they signed up for, which is teach. Finally, after decades of their concerns falling on deaf ears, the Texas Legislature has listened.

Republicans and Democrats in the Texas Senate on Monday agreed on a bill that cuts the number of standardized tests Texas high school students have to take from 15 to five, and the number of hours students spend preparing for and taking standardized tests from a maximum of 90 to a maximum of 21.

The Senate still has to work out some differences with the House, but one thing they both agree on is that the days of relying so much on standardized tests in Texas high schools is over.