Superintendents question automated grading system, giving thousands of students zeros on a portion of STAAR test

STAAR test scores released on Friday reveal modest improvements in some districts, but overall, student performance remains largely unchanged. Is this really the case?

Some superintendents argue that new grading practices for the test resulted in an unprecedented number of zero scores, and they are demanding explanations.

Regardless of the district type—urban, suburban, large, or small—superintendents are raising the same concerns.

“We noticed a significant increase in zero scores on the open-ended responses, which prompted us to voice our concerns,” said Lori Rapp, Superintendent of Lewisville ISD.

The new grading system, referred to as AI or robotic grading by some, is TEA’s method for electronically scoring the STAAR test. Superintendents find the resulting grades unexpected.

“Approximately 45 to 50%, depending on the grade level, are receiving zero scores,” stated Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde.

Nearly half of Dallas ISD students received no points for their written responses, causing school leaders to question the system’s accuracy.

“We have serious concerns about the automated scoring engine and the adequacy of preparation time,” Rapp emphasized.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provided data showing an increase in the number of students receiving zeros this year compared to last. However, a TEA spokesperson explained:

“The increase in zero scores is unrelated to automated scoring. The rise can be attributed to changes in the grading rubric. Under the previous rubric, any student attempting to answer a writing prompt received a score above zero as long as they provided some response. Now, even if the response is grammatically perfect, it is scored zero if it is off-topic.”

TEA stated that if errors are found, they will be corrected, but currently, there is no evidence of a grading issue.

School leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth argue that, whether the issue lies with AI or the rubric, data from other standardized tests paint a different picture.

“All other tests show that we’re advancing students more than one academic year and nine months. The one test that didn’t align was the STAAR,” said Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Angelica Ramsey.

New rules not only alter the test grading but also mandate tutoring for low scorers.

Superintendents vow to ensure the test is fair and accurately graded before students are required to undergo mandatory tutoring.