Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced the end of standardized testing in his state. Gov. Greg Abbott usually copies DeSantis’ every move, so we want to voice our support for the governor to add legislation to this third special session’s agenda that cancels STAAR permanently.
If we want to copy all the extremist homework of Florida and other states on mask mandates, the least we could do is rip off a move that will actually help students and educators. We want Gov. Abbott to help close our “achievement gap” with Florida. It’s time to end standardized testing in Texas.
Our state leaders have done precious little to help our schools keep students and staff safe in a pandemic. Instead, they’ve spent their time suing school districts and fighting mask mandates in court. The LEAST they could do is relieve students and educators of the useless hardship of high-stakes testing.