Thursday, the Texas Education Agency released the latest results from STARR testing for Texas elementary and intermediate school students. State law says students in the fifth and eighth grades must pass the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STARR) tests in reading and math to advance to the next grade.

Almost 80 percent of fifth- and eighth-graders passed the Texas standardized math test on their first try this month while more than 75 percent passed the reading exam.

In math, fifth-graders had a 4 percent increase in passing rates on the first try compared to last year school year while eighth-graders had a 2 percent increase. In reading, fifth-graders saw a 1 percent decrease compared to last year while eighth-graders saw a 2 percent decrease.

Information from the Associated Press used in this report

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