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MRT (free): STAAR Results: Gains in Reading, Struggles with Math // Sharp Reflects on 14-Year Tenure Running A&M // DMN to Abbott: Ban THC // RPT Seeks to Close Primary
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
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MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
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WEDNESDAY || 6/18/2025
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TOP NEWS
“Texas students make gains in reading but struggle with math, STAAR scores show,” Texas Tribune's Sneha Dey – “Texas’ students saw some wins in reading but continued to struggle to bounce back from pandemic-related learning losses in math, state testing results released Tuesday showed.
Elementary students who took the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam this year made the biggest gains in reading across grade levels. Third graders saw a three percentage point increase in reading, a milestone because early literacy is a strong indicator of future academic success. Progress among middle students in the subject, meanwhile, slowed.
“These results are encouraging and reflect the impact of the strategic supports we’ve implemented in recent years,” said Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. “We are seeing meaningful signs of academic recovery and progress.”
This year’s third grade test takers have benefited from state investments in early literacy in recent years. Teachers in their classrooms have completed state-led training in early literacy instruction, known as reading academies. The state also expanded pre-K access and enrollment in 2019.
Morath did acknowledge students needed more help to make similar gains in math. Five years after pandemic-related school closures, students are still struggling to catch up in that subject, the results showed. About 43% of students met grade-level standards for math, a 2 percentage point increase from the previous year, but still shy of the 50% reached in 2019.
Low performance in math can effectively shut students out of high-paying, in-demand STEM careers. Economic leaders have been sounding the alarm about the implications that weak math skills can have on the state’s future workforce pipeline.
The STAAR exam tests all Texas public school students in third through eighth grade in math and reading. A science test is also administered for fifth and eighth graders, as well as a social studies test for eighth graders. Science performance improved among fifth and eighth grades by 3 and 4 percentage points respectively, but students in those grades are still below where they were before the pandemic.
Students in special education also made small gains. English learners, meanwhile, saw drops in all subjects but one — a 4% decrease in reading, a 2% decrease in math, and a 2% decrease in social studies.
The test scores give families a snapshot of how Texas students are learning. School accountability ratings — which the Texas Education Agency gives out to each district and campus on an A through F scale as a score for their performance — are also largely based on how students do on the standardized tests.
The test often casts a shadow over classrooms at the end of the year, with teachers across the state saying they lose weeks of valuable instructional time preparing children to take the test. Some parents also don’t like the test because of its high-stakes nature. They have said their kids don’t want to go school because of the enormous pressure the hours-long, end-of-year test puts on them.
A bill that would have scrapped the STAAR test died in the last days of the 2025 legislative session. Both Republican and Democratic legislators expressed a desire to overhaul STAAR, but in the end, the House and Senate could not align on what they wanted out of an alternative test.
Legislators this session did approve a sweeping school finance package that included academic intervention for students who are struggling before they first take their STAAR test in third grade. The package also requires teachers get training in math instruction, mirroring existing literacy training mandates.
Parents can look up their students’ test results here." Texas Tribune
TOP NEWS
“John Sharp reflects on successes, challenges at Texas A&M” Texas Tribune
#TXLEGE
Editorial: “Gov. Greg Abbott shouldn’t veto THC ban” DMN ($)
“Texas again lowers restrictions on certain firearms, passes on regulations” Texas Tribune
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Why CPS Energy says power demand is expected to surge in San Antonio” SAEN ($)
“Who's to blame for Houston's lengthy recycling delay? Solid Waste officials point toward aging fleet” Hou Chron ($)
STATE GOVERNMENT
“'Troubling': Judge blocks Texas AG's bid to access DA's criminal files” AAS ($)
Editorial: “Paxton’s insistence on Robert Roberson’s execution is indefensible” DMN ($)
Davie Lieber column: “Texas Lottery scandal: Where in the world is the former director?” DMN ($)
2026
“Republican Party of Texas retains law firm to bar non-members from their primaries” KXAN
TEXANS IN DC
“Tucker Carlson, Ted Cruz get in heated back and forth over Iran” The Hill
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "Texas again lowers restrictions on certain firearms, passes on regulations" TX TRIB
> DMN: "AG Paxton investigates whether undocumented immigrants in Texas voted in 2024 election" DMN
> HOU CHRON: "Two Texas Democrats on list of 45 lawmakers targeted by Minnesota gunman" HOU CHRON
> FWST: "Dallas, Austin join anti-ICE protests" FWST
=> KXAN: "Knee pads, handgun detailed in arrest connected to Texas lawmaker threat" KXAN
> HOU CHRON: "What to know about bunker-buster bombs and Iran's Fordo nuclear facility" HOU CHRON
> THE TEXAN: "Texas GOP Signals Looming Push, Potential Lawsuit Over Closed Primaries" THE TEXAN
> HOU CHRON: "A radical proposal to abolish state government and strengthen American democracy" HOU CHRON
> THE TEXAN: "Trump Polling Firm Finds Bipartisan Opposition to Banning THC Products in Texas" THE TEXAN
> THE TEXAN: "Texas AG Ken Paxton Opens Investigation Into 33 Alleged Noncitizen Voters" THE TEXAN
> KXAN: "Republican Party of Texas retains law firm to bar non-members from their primaries" KXAN
> DMN: "What to know about incoming District 4 City Council member Maxie Johnson" DMN
> MRT: "Texas stops providing new funding for border wall construction" MRT
> MY RGV: "ICE raids are bad for business, Valley mayors and economist say" MY RGV
> SA REPORT: "Congressman Joaquin Castro named on alleged Minnesota assassin’s hit list" SA REPORT
> SA REPORT: "Whyte, Kaur sanctioned after wave of campaign ethics complaints" SA REPORT
> KXAN: "Travis County passes resolution for ‘Constitutional & Humane Treatment of Immigrants’" KXAN
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "San Antonio City Council approves digital billboard pilot program" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> THE TEXAN: "Dan Patrick Chairs First Hearing for Trump's Religious Liberty Commission" THE TEXAN
> THE TEXAN: "Texas House Amendment to Senate Bill Could Impact Tarrant County Reappraisal Plan" THE TEXAN
> DMN: "How did Dallas ISD students perform on STAAR?" DMN
> FWST: "Ace Hardware manager hung noose in Arlington store on Juneteenth, lawsuit states" FWST
> DMN: "Trial of Dallas man accused of discarding 18-month-old in a dumpster begins" DMN
> HOU CHRON: "AI ‘reanimations’: Making facsimiles of the dead raises ethical quandaries" HOU CHRON
> TX TRIB: "Venezuelan man deported to El Salvador after DPS labeled him a member of Tren de Aragua without evidence, lawyer says" TX TRIB
> MRT: "Prosecutors ask for new execution date for Texas man in shaken baby syndrome case" MRT
> FWST: "These North Texas-area restaurants were closed in May following inspections" FWST
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "‘More work is needed’: Amid reading gains, 2025 STAAR results show Texas students still struggle with math" COMMUNITY IMPACT
EXTRA POINTS
Last night's Texas sports schedule:
> WNBA: Dallas 80, Golden State 71 (OT)
> MLB: Kansas City 6, Texas 1
> MLB: Houston 13, Oakland 3
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 7:05pm: MLB: Kansas City at Texas
> 7:30pm: MLS: San Jose at Dallas
> 7:30pm: MLS: Houston at Minnesota
> 9:05pm: MLB: Houston at Oakland
Tomorrow's Texas sports schedule:
> 1:35pm: MLB: Kansas City at Texas
> 9:05pm: MLB: Houston at Oakland
HOUSTON ASTROS: “Cam Smith hits 2 of Astros’ 5 homers in 13-3 win over Athletics" AP
TEXAS RANGERS: "Perez homers twice, Witt goes deep in hometown for 1st time as Royals beat Rangers 6-1" AP
TEXAS FOOTBALL: Bohls: "UT's Trevor Goosby says he could be like Dennis Rodman but his real job is protecting Arch Manning" Hou Chron ($)
DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Cooper Flagg, the consensus No. 1 pick, arrives in Dallas for private visit with Mavericks" DMN ($)
DALLAS WINGS: "Paige Bueckers shines in front of UConn legend as Wings play best basketball vs. Valkyries" DMN ($)
SMU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: "‘Sleeping giant’: How SMU awoke its women’s basketball program overnight" DMN ($)
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