In the third grade, every Texan in a public school is introduced to the four hour, forty plus question battle that is the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness or STAAR test. However with House Bill 8 now signed into law, this important experience is nothing but a distant memory for upperclassmen.

Make no mistake, House Bill 8 would benefit elementary schoolers: they will now take three shorter tests across the year, getting feedback from teachers in days, not months. The benefits of near instant feedback, reduced stress, greater instructional time, and more comprehensive assessments are certainly boons to elementary schoolers and teachers alike. However, the Texas legislature’s solution gives students training wheels for a cross-country marathon. Preventing students from  experiencing long form standardized testing that will leave them for a rude awakening in high school. 

When Texas students take AP, IB, SAT, and ACT exams that can last more than three hours a piece, they can lack the same experience students from other states had who implemented more rigorous long form standardized testing. This means that as a whole, Texan students’ scores will drop, with lower performances all across the board. The STAAR test is not the most academically rigorous, but it does instill important concepts and skills early. It teaches students time and stress management, skills that three spread out, lower-stakes tests cannot achieve.

While it could be good to delay elementary students from facing four hour long standardized tests, doing middle schoolers the same favor is a disservice. While wealthier students will start going to prep classes and be prepared for long form exams, marginalized communities will lack the opportunity to get used to long form testing. Entering high school, these students might know the same amount of content as their peers but lack the same experiences to fully translate their knowledge onto paper. 

This lack of preparation could be far worse than the stress middle schoolers would be spared from experiencing. Though the STAAR test is stressful for many, students have the ability to retake it multiple times, so it’s comparatively lower stakes compared to harsher standardized tests you take in high school. However, starting ninth grade on an uneven playing field, scoring lower on longer form exams, could create a mentality of pessimism and helplessness that these students could experience for the rest of high school or even their educational careers. 

Additionally, with many schools no longer being test optional, the emphasis placed on standardized testing is more important than ever before. With poorer foundations set in middle school, marginalized students won’t be able to truly perform to their true potential, resulting in poorer college acceptances and by extension, job prospects.  

You must first walk in order to run. However, the new policy can be giving students a late start.