By Michael Wood, Vice President, Education & Workforce
In June, the Texas Education Agency released results from the 2024 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, the annual measure of academic achievement for students in grades 3 through 12. The new data shows students in the Dallas Region holding steady in reading proficiency while declining slightly in math.
STAAR scores are used to gauge the performance of schools and school districts – which means they have implications for working parents and the companies that employ them. Here’s what you need to know.
Statewide, student achievement is holding steady.
State-level results show that, across all grades, student achievement is mostly consistent with 2023 outcomes.
In 2024, 51% of students in grades 3 through 8 met state reading standards, unchanged from 2023. Forty percent of students in grades 3 through 8 met state math standards in 2024, down from 42% in 2023.
The percentage of students meeting state standards on end-of-course exams was largely unchanged, holding firm at 45% in Algebra I, 57% in Biology, and 54% in English I. The state saw a four percentage-point jump in English II (60% in 2024, from 56% in 2023) and a two percentage-point decline in US History (69% in 2024, from 71% in 2023).
Math outcomes still lag pre-pandemic achievement levels.
Student outcomes dropped precipitously following pandemic-driven school closures in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. In reading, student achievement across grades 3 through 8 declined to 39% in 2021 from 45% in 2019. Math saw a steeper decline, falling to 34% in 2021 from 48% in 2019.
While reading outcomes now exceed pre-pandemic levels statewide, math achievement has yet to catch back up. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath suggests the persistent math underperformance is an indication that students are still struggling to master fundamental math concepts following pandemic-induced learning disruptions.
The Dallas Region is running ahead of the state, but similar trends hold.
Collectively, the 108 independent school districts in the Dallas Region – or the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Statistical Area – outperform the state average in reading and math in grades 3 through 8.
Fifty-four percent of Dallas Region students in grades 3 through 8 met standards in reading, compared to 51% statewide. In math, 43% of Dallas Region students met standards, compared to 40% statewide.
Consistent with state trends, Dallas Region outcomes in reading were steady as compared to 2023, while math performance declined by three percentage-points year-over-year.
Across end-of-course exam subjects, the Dallas Region ran between two and three percentage-points ahead of state averages.
State investment in high-quality curriculum aims to bolster future outcomes.
During the 88th Texas Legislative Session in 2023, state lawmakers approved House Bill (HB) 1605 – a DRC priority – to invest more than $800 million in the development of high-quality instructional materials for public school classrooms.
A survey conducted by the Texas Education Agency prior to the passage of HB 1605 found that less than 20% of elementary school lessons in the state were at or above grade-level.
The curricular resources – which are incentivized, but optional, for school districts – aim to increase the number of students receiving grade-level instruction and, as a result, improve outcomes on state assessments. The curriculum will also help mitigate teacher burnout by reducing time spent developing lesson plans outside of working hours.
To learn more about the work the Dallas Regional Chamber is doing in Education, Talent, & Workforce, visit our website.