Beyond the Falling STAAR: Statewide Workshops Discuss What Makes a Good School

Throughout early 2026, Raise Your Hand Texas hosted a series of workshops named “Beyond the Falling STAAR” across the state, bringing together local parents, educators, and community leaders in nearly 30 communities to discuss how our schools receive A-F scores, what makes a good school, and the future of school accountability. Following the recent passage of House Bill 8, the workshops aimed to clarify the common misconception that standardized testing has been eliminated altogether, revealing instead that high-stakes testing continues to dominate the state’s grading system. Facilitated by Raise Your Hand Texas’ regional advocacy directors, the events provided a hands-on look at how the state’s current A-F rating system impacts local campuses and why a more holistic approach is needed to measure student success.

Breaking Down the Formula

During the interactive sessions, attendees stepped into the shoes of a campus advisory council member and participated in mock decision-making simulations. Participants were tasked with making critical decisions for a fictional school, illustrating how heavily the current system relies on standardized test scores. In Texas, elementary and middle school ratings are currently determined entirely by STAAR performance—a “one test on one day” metric that many attendees felt does not capture the full scope of learning, teacher quality, or the diverse services schools provide. High schools are currently measured by STAAR performance (40%), College, Career, and Military Readiness (40%), and graduation rate (20%). 

Defining What Matters Most

A major focus of the evenings was exploring Raise Your Hand Texas’ “Measure What Matters” initiative, which advocates for a more holistic view of school success. Attendees discussed the importance of including indicators that a single test cannot capture, such as extracurricular activities, AP Classes, school safety, teacher retention rates, and parent surveys. By shifting the focus to these broader measures, each community envisioned an accountability system that provides a more accurate and transparent picture of how schools meet the diverse needs of their students.

From Understanding to Advocacy

By organizing as an informed community, participants left prepared to call for an accountability system that values individual student growth and comprehensive learning over a rigid, test-based formula.

The Beyond the Falling STAAR workshops took place in the following Texas cities: El Paso, Denton, Midlothian, San Marcos, Waco, Brownwood, Fort Worth, Keller, McAllen, Palestine, Amarillo, Brownsville, San Antonio, Houston, Texarkana, Katy, Baytown, Pearland, and Portland, among others.