Breaking Down the 2024 STAAR Results: Where Students Struggled and Why

As the 2024–2025 school year wraps up, a closer look at the 2024 STAAR results reveals important insights into student performance across Reading Language Arts (RLA), Math, Science, and Social Studies. While some grades are showing progress, subjects like Science and Math still pose significant challenges—especially at certain grade levels.

This post explores key trends, performance by grade, and takes a deeper dive into the steep decline in Science scores and what might be driving it.

📖 Reading Language Arts (RLA)

Overall Performance 

• In 2024, 47% of students met grade level in RLA—down from 53% in 2019.
• While scores haven’t rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, middle school grades are showing slight improvements.

Grade-Level Performance

• Grades 3–5 showed mixed results:
  • Grade 3: 46% (↓ from 48% in 2022)
  • Grade 4: 49% (↑ from 46%)
  • Grade 5: 53% (↓ from 55%)
• Grades 6–8 held steady or improved slightly:
  • Grade 6: 54% (↑ from 50%)
  • Grade 8: 54% (unchanged)

✅ Key Takeaway: Middle schoolers are slowly making gains in RLA, but overall performance still trails behind pre-COVID benchmarks.

➗ Mathematics

Overall Performance

• Only 41% of students met grade level in 2024, a notable drop from 50% in 2019.
• Algebra I scores have flatlined since 2021, with just 45% meeting grade level.

Grade-Level Performance

• Performance in grades 3–5 has dipped slightly:
  • Grade 3: 40% (↓ from 43%)
  • Grade 4: 44% (↓ from 46%)
  • Grade 5: 48% (↓ from 49%)
• The decline is sharper in middle school:
  • Grade 6: 37% (unchanged)
  • Grade 7: 32% (↓ from 35%)
  • Grade 8: 40% (↓ from 44%)

✅ Key Takeaway: Math performance continues to decline as students progress through the grades, and Algebra I scores remain stagnant.

🌍 Social Studies

Overall Performance 

• 49% met grade level in 2024, nearly identical to 2019.
• Grade 8 Social Studies remains unchanged at 31%.

✅ Key Takeaway: While stable, Social Studies scores have seen little to no growth.

🔬 Science

Overall Performance

• In 2024, just 42% of students met grade level in Science—down from 53% in 2019.
• This subject saw one of the steepest declines across all tested areas.

Grade-Level Performance

• Grade 5: 26% met grade level—down dramatically from 47% in 2019.
• Grade 8: 42% (↓ from 49% in 2021)
  

What’s Behind the Drop in Grade 5?

The decline in 5th-grade Science performance can’t be explained by test difficulty alone. A combination of limited instructional time, foundational gaps, and evolving test design all contribute to the issue.

Limited Instructional Time

In many elementary schools, Science doesn’t receive the same daily focus as Reading or Math. Because it’s not tested in Grades 3 and 4, schools often prioritize tested subjects, sidelining Science until it appears on the Grade 5 assessment. As a result, students are expected to master two years’ worth of content in one year—leaving them to play catch-up.In self-contained classrooms, teachers may also feel more confident teaching literacy and math, leading to less frequent or less rigorous science instruction in the early grades.

Foundational Gaps from Early Grades

When Science isn’t consistently taught in Grades 3 and 4, students enter 5th grade without the background knowledge needed to meet expectations. Instead of building understanding over time, they’re asked to absorb an entire subject in a single year—an uphill climb for both students and educators.

New Testing Format Adds Complexity

Beginning in 2025–2026, the STAAR Grade 5 Science test will adopt a new format. Rather than presenting standalone multiple-choice questions, the test will feature question clusters tied to a passage. This structure mirrors reading comprehension assessments and requires students to:

• Analyze and synthesize information
• Apply scientific concepts in context
• Navigate more complex and unfamiliar question formats

While these skills are valuable, many students haven’t practiced them in a science setting.

In addition, recent STAAR redesigns introduced Technology-Enhanced Items (TEIs), which increase the cognitive load of the test. These include:

• Evidence-Based Selected Response: Students must answer two related questions correctly to earn full credit—partial understanding can mean zero points.
• Drag-and-Drop Items: Multiple draggable options increase the chance of misplaced answers.
• Constructed Response: Students must explain their thinking, requiring deeper understanding and higher-order reasoning.

For many students, the real challenge isn’t the science content—it’s navigating the structure of the test itself.

How This Impacts 5th-Grade Science Scores

Students already struggling with foundational science knowledge are now facing a more cognitively demanding assessment. Even students who understand the material may score poorly if they lack test-taking strategies or aren’t comfortable with the digital format.

And since TEIs are now used across all subjects, students may experience fatigue or frustration—especially by the time they reach the Science section.

What Needs to Change?

• Prioritize Science Earlier: Consistent science instruction in Grades 3 and 4 can prevent knowledge gaps before they begin.
• Support Teachers: Targeted professional development can help teachers feel more confident delivering high-quality science instruction earlier in the learning journey.
• TEKS-Aligned, Easy-to-Use Resources: Practical, ready-to-implement tools can help bridge gaps in both content and teacher preparedness.
• Regular Practice with New Formats: Familiarizing students with technology-enhanced items can reduce testing anxiety and allow them to focus on demonstrating what they know—not how to take the test.

✅ Key Takeaway: Grade 5 Science scores are low because students lack a strong foundation in earlier grades. More consistent instruction in Grades 3 and 4, especially including TEI’s, could improve long-term performance.

If Texas wants to improve student success, investing in early-grade science instruction, better math support in middle school, and further intentional practice with the tech enhanced items could make the biggest difference.

If you need more TEKS-aligned content complete with TEI’s that mimic the real STAAR exam, take 20 seconds to fill out the form below and see exactly how Progress Learning can help.