Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced last month that the grade promotion requirement related to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, test for students in grades 5 and 8 has been waived for the upcoming school year. The governor’s office said in a press release that school districts typically must take into account a student’s score on the STAAR test to determine whether the student can be promoted to the next grade level. The waiver will change that. In addition, the governor said the traditional A-F rating system will remain in place, albeit with certain adjustments due to COVID-19. Typically,