Prep for the Texas STAAR ® Test

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - February 23rd, 2015

The Texas STAAR ® test is familiar to any parent raising a child in the Lone Star State. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness is a standardized test given to kids in Texas between grades 3 and 8, and covers reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.

The STAAR is often confused with the Common Core State Standards, and indeed they are related. The Common Core describes the effort to administer uniform standardized tests in as many states as possible, to provide a seamless educational experience regardless of what state a child lives in. Texas hasn’t adopted the Common Core, so instead they’re administering the STAAR test. The STAAR test, in turn, replaced the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS test.

Public school students in Texas are required to take the STAAR test. Private-schooled and homeschooled children aren’t required to take it. So if your child is in public school and entering a grade between 3rd and 8th grade, they’ll need to be ready when the STAAR test comes around.

The good thing about the STAAR test, like so many other state standards tests, is that it covers the material your child learns in school. Unlike intelligence tests and others that are harder to “prepare” for, just by doing their homework and attending class your child will be in a strong position to do well when they go to take the test. Of course, to ensure that they receive a top grade it’s important to work with them to go above and beyond their schoolwork. This has the added benefit of giving them the extra boost that will put them at the top of their class, while also getting them in a strong position for the STAAR test. With preparation and an understanding of what the test is, your child will be in good shape on exam day.