STAAR Grade 8 Social Studies

STAAR Grade 8 Social Studies is the state test that Texas eighth graders take in the spring. It is developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and measures the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for Grade 8 social studies: United States history from the early colonial period through Reconstruction.

REPORTING CATEGORIES HISTORY ENDS WITH RECONSTRUCTION

Questions 40 questions worth a total of 49 points

Multiple choice plus newer types such as multiselect, multipart, drag-and-drop, hot text, inline choice, and short

Online; paper versions only for students who qualify for them

Designed to be finished in about three to four hours; students who need more time may keep working until the end of

Results A scale score and one of four performance levels

TEA groups the Grade 8 standards into four reporting categories. The blueprint sets how many questions come from each

Exploration and colonization through Reconstruction

2. Geography and Culture 8–10

Founding documents, constitutional principles, amendments, Supreme Court cases, citizenship

3. Government and Citizenship 8–10

Regional economies, slavery and the plantation system, industrialization,

Readiness standards are the most important skills for the grade and make up most of the points; supporting standards fill the rest. Every TEKS standard may be tested, so study all of them, but give extra attention to the big causes and effects in each era.

Nine questions are worth two points. These may ask you to choose more than one correct answer, complete two related parts, or write a short constructed response of a few sentences that uses evidence from a source. Partial credit is possible on many of them, so answer every part.

Expected to succeed in the next grade with little or no extra help

High likelihood of success in the next grade, though some may need short-term help

Likely to succeed in the next grade with targeted help

Unlikely to succeed in the next grade without significant ongoing help

Did Not Meet Grade Level

The number of points needed for each level can change slightly from one test form to the next, so TEA reports results as

Texas law (House Bill 8) will replace STAAR with a new system of shorter beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year tests, and Grade 8 social studies will still be tested. Until the new tests begin, students take STAAR as described here. Check tea.texas.gov for the timeline and the latest updates.