State lawmakers are deciding if they should eliminate the STAAR test from grade school.

One Rio Grande Valley teacher says the pressure students feel is caused by state standardized testing.

"I hate to imagine the anxiety and the stress that it creates leading up to that test. As a teacher, I see it," Brownsville Independent School District 8th grade science teacher Jorge Jasso said.

Jasso has worked at Brownsville ISD for almost 20 years. He is also a parent and noticed something about the state standardized test when his son graduated from high school. 

"When my son applied at these universities, and when we could go talk to advisors and professors, the recurring message kept coming up, we don't care about the STAAR test. What we care is are you a well-rounded individual," Jasso said.

State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, is an exam used by the state to measure students progress.

It also helps the state grade school district's on their ability to teach students with an A through F ranking.

"The way we use the test results in Texas is flawed, you can not assign a letter grade, letter rating on a school based on a single test," Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Gonzalo Salazar said.

Texas has used standardized testing since the 80s. Students were first given the STAAR test in the 2011-2012 school year.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott first brought up it's elimination in 2023. In this year's regular legislative session, House Bill 4 was introduced, but it wasn't passed. 

Lawmakers couldn't agree if one test should be given at the end of the year or if students should get assessments at the beginning, middle and end of the year.

Salazar prefers multiple test throughout the year.

"That place for assessment is to give us information and modify instruction. That would be the more appropriate use of a test. The current assessment is a bit of an autopsy. We get the results at the end, kids have moved on," Salazar said.

Salazar is closely watching the special session to see what lawmakers decide. For school districts, a change would ruin a month of work.

"I'm concerned that if we move in an entirely different direction moving forward, then our efforts were futile this summer," Salazar said.

Salazar says they've spent the summer finding ways they can improve, but they were using data from the STAAR test. 

State Representative Erin Gamez, who represents parts of Brownsville, is in Austin for the special session. She says the house intends to release the same version of the bill.

"To look at what other things outside of testing are we looking at? Are we giving other accurate measurements of a student as a whole?" Gamez said.

Channel 5 News has also reached out to Senator Adam Hinojosa, who represents both Cameron and Willacy County.

In a statement, he called the STAAR exam a burden and goes on to say lawmakers can do better.

Read his full statement below:

"I believe our focus should always be on truly educating our students, not teaching them how to take a test. The STAAR exam has become a burden that many teachers find ineffective and costly, and I believe we can do better. While we do not yet know what the final version of the legislation will look like, I am committed to supporting efforts that improve the quality and efficiency of education in Texas for both students and educators."

Governor Abbott requested the elimination of STAAR test to be in the special session. He wants it to be replaced with other tools to assess student progress and school district accountability.

For now, parents and teachers want lawmakers to remember who these test are for and what they should be about.

Watch the video above for the full story.