STAAR Tests and A–F Accountability

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests are a major component of the state’s A–F Accountability system. This article explains how various A–F Accountability components use STAAR results.

Accountability Subset

The Accountability Subset includes enrolled students used in A–F Accountability calculations. Students must meet two criteria for inclusion.

1. Enrollment at the campus as reported on the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) Fall Snapshot
2. Administered the STAAR test at the same campus where the student was enrolled in on the TSDS PEIMS Snapshot

Domain 1: Student Achievement

Domain 1 examines campus performance based on STAAR assessments, College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR), and graduation rates.

For schools identified as:

• Elementary or middle schools, Domain 1 is 100% STAAR
• High or K–12 schools, Domain 1 is 40% STAAR

The campus receives one point for each percentage of assessment results that are at or above the following:

• Approaches Grade Level or above
• Meets Grade Level or above
• Masters Grade Level

The system adds these points and divides the total by three to calculate a campus raw score from 0–100. It then uses the STAAR Component Score: Raw Score to Scaled Score Conversion Table (Appendix I, page 225 of the 2026 TEA Accountability Manual) to determine the scaled score.

This result is the sole indicator for Domain 1 for elementary and middle schools. For high schools and K–12 schools, the STAAR component is weighted at 40% and added to the weighted CCMR and graduation rate to determine the Domain 1 score.

Domain 2: School Progress

Domain 2 examines district and campus outcomes in two areas that use STAAR results.

• Part A: the number of students who grew at least one year academically, and the number of students who were accelerated, as measured by STAAR
• Part B: the achievement level of students relative to campuses with similar economically disadvantaged percentages

School Progress Part A

Part A compares a student’s current STAAR RLA and Math scores with the student’s performance the previous year. The system awards points from changes in performance levels from the prior year to the current year (it divides the Did Not Meet and Approaches performance levels into Low and High categories and awards one-half point for advancing within a sub-performance level).

Students earn Accelerated Learning points when they progress from Did Not meet to another performance level within a year. Accelerated Learning points are purely bonus points. They cannot negatively affect accountability. The system multiplies the points by 0.25 and adds the result to the points earned from performance level changes.

School Progress Part B

Part B compares the campus’s overall student performance on STAAR with other campuses with similar percentages of economically disadvantaged students (for high schools and K–12s with CCMR). This comparison includes CCMR.

Domain 3: Closing the Gaps

Domain 3 used disaggregated data to look at how well student groups (racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, etc.) are progressing toward meeting interim and long-term goals. The accountability system evaluates campuses on four components, three of which may depend on STAAR scores.

• Academic Achievement looks at STAAR RLA and Math results at Meets Grade Level or higher
• Growth or Graduation looks at School Progress – Part A data in RLA and Math for elementary and middle schools ( and high schools and K–12s with no graduation data)
• School Quality or Student Success looks at the STAAR component of the Student Achievement domain for elementary and middle schools (and high schools and K–12s with no CCMR data).

Distinction Designations

The accountability system uses STAAR test results as indicators when determining all distinction Designations.

• Academic Achievement in RLA, Academic Achievement in Mathematics, Academic Achievement in Science, and Academic Achievement in Social Studies examine STAAR scores at the Masters Achievement Level for the appropriate content area, as well as other indicators. Retest Growth is also included for all content areas. Accelerated Student Learning from Domain 2 – Part A is used for RLA and Mathematics. 
• Top 25 Percent: Comparative Academic Growth arranges the campus’s comparison group’s Domain 2 – Part A raw scores in descending order and gives this Distinction Designation to the top quartile. 
• Top 25 Percent: Comparative Closing the Gaps arranges the campus’s comparison group’s Domain 3 raw scores in descending order and gives this Distinction Designation to the top quartile. 
• Postsecondary Readiness looks at STAAR results at the Meets Grade Level or above for all content areas. It also examines grade 3–8 results at Meets Grade Level or above in both RLA and Mathematics.

Conclusion

This article provides an overview of how A–F Accountability uses STAAR results. See the 2026 Accountability Manual for more information. To gain insight or help with specific questions, contact the accountability specialists at ESC Region 13. They are always available to answer questions.

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ESC Region 13 has curated a number of STAAR resources. Explore videos, FAQ sheets, email professional development series, blueprint breakdowns, and more on our STAAR website.

See more articles on accountability and STAAR on the ESC Region 13 blog.