STAAR stands for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. It was implemented in spring 2012 and includes annual assessments for:

• reading and mathematics, grades 3-8
• writing, grades 4 and 7
• science, grades 5 and 8
• social studies, grade 8
• end-of-course (EOC) assessments, English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology and US History. 

Information about STAAR can be found on the Texas Education Agency website: http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/staar/