Beyond the 806
Save Texas Public Schools - Gina Hinojosa for Texas Governor
Gina Hinojosa, a candidate for Texas Governor, wants to scrap the STAAR test and hit pause on the state's controversial A-F school accountability system. Hinojosa's campaign platform argues that current "flawed, high-stakes tests" fail to reliably measure student achievement or support genuine learning.
Hinojosa's campaign platform argues that current "flawed, high-stakes tests" fail to reliably measure student achievement or support genuine learning. This proposal would directly affect every public school campus here in Lubbock, from elementary kids starting their day near the South Plains Mall to high schoolers at Estacado. The Texas Constitution, established in 1876, mandates the Legislature support an "efficient system of public free schools," a core principle Hinojosa claims is currently undermined by policies she considers ineffective. She plans to push the Legislature to develop a system offering "real accountability" instead.
For Lubbock parents, teachers, and school administrators, particularly those dealing with the daily realities in Tech Terrace or north of 19th Street, this could mean a radical shift away from a test-centric educational approach. It might free up local districts to innovate curriculum and assessment methods tailored to student needs, potentially easing the stress associated with high-stakes testing. This would also reframe how school performance gets evaluated by the state.
Every year, Texas classrooms go quiet for these standardized tests, a process which costs the state hundreds of millions of dollars annually.