Opinion

Texas high school students showed improvement in every subject in this spring’s end-of-course STAAR exams, the Texas Education Agency reported. The results include assessments in Algebra I, English I, English II, biology and U.S. history. The biggest improvement was in biology, with 71% of students meeting expectations, up 9%. “These results reflect the hard work of Texas students, educators and families and demonstrate that focused instruction and high expectations continue to produce positive outcomes for students across our state,” said Commissioner Mike Morath. “These results may also be reflective of the legislature’s ban of cell phone use in classrooms, so that students are better able to stay focused on their schoolwork while at school.”