CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — House Bill 8 would split the STAAR test into three smaller exams throughout the school year, a change that has West Oso educators and students sharing mixed reactions.
Rhonda Garcia, director of curriculum and assessment at West Oso, sees potential benefits in the proposed legislation.
"I think for teaching, it'll be fantastic because you'll know where your students are and where their needs are. And for students who are waiting for their results for graduation, that's fantastic instead of waiting a month or two months for your results," Garcia said.
However, Garcia believes the changes won't address all testing challenges students face.
"We have a lot of them that get test anxiety," Garcia said. "That way I feel three would be better. But there's so much unknown."
The bill would also ban practice tests, a provision that gives Garcia mixed feelings.
"You have something good, and then something bad coming out of it," Garcia said.
Eighth grader Kane Odum at West Oso Junior High says he's among students who put significant pressure on themselves academically. While he sets goals to earn straight A's, testing can become overwhelming.
"So me I'll spend like 30 minutes on one question at times," Odum said.
When Odum learned about the plan to divide STAAR into three smaller tests, he supported the idea.
"I think that'll be a very great thing and it won't take as much tolls on kids," Odum said.
Odum wishes adults would remember the challenges students face.
"Cause kids get really stressed and burnt out sometimes," Odum said.
Garcia agrees the pressure extends beyond students to teachers, who must plan lessons around multiple state testing periods.
"What am I gonna have to teach them by this time?" Garcia said.
She worries that adding three separate exams could exhaust both students and educators.
"Man, they're gonna be examined out. By the time they take the beginning of the year, the middle of the year, and the end of the year," Garcia said.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
