STAAR Is Ending: Here’s What Texas Schools Need to Know About the Student Success Tool (SST)

After 15 years, Texas is retiring STAAR. Under House Bill 8, the Student Success Tool (SST) takes over in 2027-28, leaving students with one final STAAR exam in 2026-2027 and districts with less than two years to prepare for what’s coming.

What’s coming is a big shift for Texas schools: one high-stakes spring exam becomes three shorter checkpoints across the year. The shift to the Student Success Tool (SST) means teachers will first see where students stand in September, not in June, while there’s still time to act on the results.

The change will also return instructional time to classrooms. The state’s position is blunt: districts spend too many hours on practice testing for too little gain.

Here is what changes for Grades 3-8, what changes for high school, and what you can do now.

TEA is phasing in SST across three years. Key dates are shown below:

2025

Fall 2025

TEA began developing SST test questions.

2026

Spring 2026

TEA published the 2027-28 testing calendar.

2026

Summer 2026

We are here. TEA gathers feedback on SST testing blueprints.

2026

Fall 2026

TEA publishes a dedicated SST webpage, full test blueprints, and an implementation guide for testing coordinators.

2027

Spring 2027

The last STAAR test for Grades 3-8. Educator training begins for SST rollout.

2027

Fall 2027

SST launches with the beginning-of-year and middle-of-year tests. The last STAAR exam will be administered in December 2027.

2028

Spring 2028

The first SST end-of-year test (and the first accountability results under the new system).

MasteryPrep + Sirius

A Unified Approach to Standards-Aligned Test Prep

A full TEKS-aligned readiness system built to improve district performance on STAAR, from Grades 3-EOC. A research-based, data-driven approach combines daily instruction, targeted assessments, and high-impact test prep to close learning gaps, raise accountability scores, and build confident test-takers for all tested subjects.

MasteryPrep is here to support the transition to SST. We are tracking every TEA release and updating districts as guidance lands.

Three tests replace one. Students will take a beginning-of-year (BOY), middle-of-year (MOY), and end-of-year (EOY) assessment. Spanish assessments in Grades 3-5 follow the same rhythm.

BOY and MOY are online and adaptive, meaning questions get harder or easier as students answer. EOY is also primarily online, but every student takes the same test.

Only EOY counts toward your A-F rating—the annual letter grade TEA assigns every Texas district and campus. BOY and MOY are yours to act on: diagnostic tools, not judgment days.

The tests are also shorter. TEA is cutting exam and passage length by roughly 30% from the old STAAR assessment.

	Beginning of Year (BOY)	Middle of Year (MOY)	End of Year (EOY)
Time	Late August through September	January through February	Late April-May (Writing is administered separately in early April).
Format	Online and adaptive	Online and adaptive	Primarily online and fixed (each student takes same exam)
Purpose	Establish a starting point for students during the first weeks of the year	Assess student growth across the year	Measure progress in the fall and help fill gaps in learning
Results Timeline	Same day a student tests, by SST’s second year	Same day a student tests, by SST’s second year	Within 48 hours of the testing window closing

High school changes far less than Grades 3-8. Three things to know:

Four EOC exams remain: For Algebra I, Biology, English I, and U.S. History, the end-of-year exam is still required.
English II disappears: Both the exam and the graduation requirement go away in 2027-28—but the class of 2027 still has to clear it.
BOY and MOY are optional: Districts may choose to offer BOY and MOY exams for EOC subjects.

MasteryPrep remains your partner to help students succeed on Texas assessments.

Nothing changes this year! STAAR runs through 2026-27, and the MasteryPrep and Sirius Education Solutions materials your teachers and students use will prepare them for the last STAAR test.
Keeping you up to date. TEA will be releasing more information on the new SST throughout the year. We are tracking every TEA release and updating districts as guidance lands.
Our focus on standards. Changing a state test is always a big deal. But beneath the new format, SST tests the same thing STAAR tested: the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). Our solutions were built around TEKS from day one, keeping pace with updates to those standards when they happen. This won’t change.

We support districts across Texas, from single campuses to some of the state’s largest systems, through multiple product lines. All of them are designed to improve student learning, identify skill gaps through data, and personalize instruction.

STAAR Solutions for Grades 3-8

Build a STAAR strategy that supports all learners and moves more students to Mastery.

Authentic STAAR practice, using the same item formats and rigor students will see on test day
Focused TEKS instruction as intervention
Previous-grade remediation for struggling students

STAAR Solutions for Grades 9-12

Build an EOC strategy that supports all learners and move more students to Mastery.

Build fluency with STAAR 2.0 formats through exposure to authentic question types.
Targets reteach by Reporting Category, to close learning gaps.
Previous-grade remediation for learners rebuilding foundational skills.

Boot Camp

One-day readiness workshops, offered online and in-person, led by a MasteryPrep-trained instructor. These sessions focus on essential test-taking strategies, giving students a focused final push before test day without adding work for teachers. See our success in raising student scores across Texas.

STAAR Assessment Banks

Whether used independently or together, the Summative and Formative Assessment Banks provide a full-cycle solution for STAAR readiness. Both assessment banks allow districts to manage assessments and analyze performance in a single, unified system.

When is the last STAAR test?
The 2026-27 school year is the last full year of STAAR. Spring 2027 is the final administration for Grades 3-8.

What testing changes does the SST bring?
For Grades 3-8, the SST replaces end-of-year STAAR assessments with beginning-of-year (BOY), middle-of-year (MOY), and end-of-year (EOY) exams. Spanish assessments continue in Grades 3-5 and follow the same pattern.

Does SST impact high school?
SST has much less of an impact on high school tests. However, for EOC exams, English II will be eliminated, while Algebra I, Biology, English I, and U.S. History will still be required.

Does SST change graduation requirements?
One requirement changes, as English II is eliminated as both an administered exam and a graduation requirement beginning in 2027-28. However, it’s still required for the class of 2027. Algebra I, Biology, English I, and U.S. History requirements are unchanged.

What has TEA not published yet?
Test blueprints and scoring guides are not final, and TEA’s dedicated SST webpage has yet to come. Both are expected in Fall 2026, along with an implementation guide for testing coordinators.

Can we keep using our current MasteryPrep and Sirius materials?
Yes. Our Texas materials are built for the Texas curriculum and standards, which SST also measures. They support students through the final STAAR administrations, and we are aligning to SST’s structure as TEA publishes blueprints and scoring guides.

Support Student Success Across Texas Assessments

From adaptive online learning and practice testing to engaging Boot Camps and professional development, we help schools build the skills and confidence students need for success on STAAR, TSIA2, ACT, and SAT.

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