STAAR Math Tutoring and Practice, Grades 3 to 8 (2027)

In short

STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) is the Texas Education Agency’s online math test for every public school student in grades 3 to 8, written to the TEKS. Grade 3 has 30 questions worth 37 points and grade 8 has 40 worth 48. The spring 2027 window is April 19 to 30. Modern Age Coders teaches STAAR math live online, in a batch or 1-on-1, through our Elementary Maths course and middle school math classes.

Math that the blueprint rewards

Three courses that teach the TEKS behind STAAR math

Each one teaches the grade’s math properly, so the test becomes a check of what a child already understands.

Elementary Maths for Grades 1-5 course thumbnail

STTU / 01

Elementary math, grades 3 to 5

Fractions, place value, area and data, built from the ground up.

Open the syllabus →

Middle School Mathematics Mastery course thumbnail

STTU / 02

Middle school math, grades 6 to 8

Ratios, rational numbers, equations and geometry.

Open the syllabus →

STTU / 03

Mental math

Number sense for grades 3 to 7, where no calculator is allowed.

Open the syllabus →

Questions by grade

How many questions are on the STAAR math test in each grade?

Between 30 and 40, depending on the grade. TEA’s blueprints, effective since the 2022 to 2023 school year, give the totals and split them into one-point and two-point questions.

STAAR mathematics by grade (TEA grade 3 to 8 math blueprints, effective as of school year 2022 to 2023, read 31 October 2026)
Grade	Questions	Points	One-point questions	Two-point questions
3	30	37	23	7
4	32	40	24	8
5	34	42	26	8
6	36	43	29	7
7	38	46	30	8
8	40	48	32	8

What a two-point question is

The blueprints label every two-point question “non-multiple choice”. On screen that means the child builds the answer: types a fraction into an equation editor, plots points on a grid or drags values into place. There are no answer choices to eliminate.

In grade 5, eight two-point questions carry 16 of the 42 points. That is more than a third of the score coming from questions where guessing does not help.

Who sits it

TEA’s STAAR resources page states that all students enrolled in Texas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools in grades 3 to 8 are required by both federal and state law to take part. A child taking an above-grade course may sit the matching higher test instead, as TEA’s testing requirements flowchart shows.

The test is online. Spanish versions of the math test exist for grades 3 to 5.

Sources: STAAR Mathematics Resources (blueprints for each grade) and STAAR Resources, Texas Education Agency, read 31 October 2026. We are not connected with TEA, any Texas district or the test contractor.

Reporting categories

What do the four STAAR math reporting categories cover?

Every grade reports math in four categories. The names stay almost the same from grade 3 to grade 8; the weight moves steadily toward algebra and geometry.

Points available in each reporting category, three grades compared (TEA math blueprints, read 31 October 2026)
Reporting category	Grade 3 points	Grade 5 points	Grade 8 points
1. Numerical representations and relationships	10 to 12	5 to 9	2 to 5
2. Computations and algebraic relationships	13 to 17	17 to 21	17 to 22
3. Geometry and measurement	6 to 10	8 to 12	15 to 20
4. Data analysis and personal financial literacy	3 to 6	3 to 7	5 to 9

Reading the shift

In grade 3, number sense (category 1) is worth up to 12 points. By grade 8 it is worth at most 5, while geometry and measurement climbs to as many as 20. A child who was strong at place value in grade 3 can still struggle in grade 8 if volume, the Pythagorean theorem and transformations were never secure.

Grade 7 renames category 1 “Probability and Numerical Representations”, the one year where probability sits inside it.

Readiness and supporting standards

The blueprints mark each TEKS as readiness or supporting. Readiness standards “make up approximately 55-70% of the total points on the base test”; supporting standards make up the rest.

TEA adds that all TEKS, readiness or supporting, “are required to be taught in their entirety”. So a tutor who teaches only the readiness list is gambling with up to 45 percent of the points.

2027 and after

When is the STAAR math test in 2027, and what replaces it?

Grades 3 to 8 math runs April 19 to 30, 2027, according to TEA’s 2026 to 2027 testing calendar. It is the final spring before House Bill 8 replaces STAAR with the Student Success Tool.

Dates that matter for a grade 3 to 8 math student (TEA 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028 testing calendars and HB 8 FAQ, read 31 October 2026)
When	What happens	Source
February 1 to 5, 2027	SST stand-alone field test, math grades 3 to 8 and Algebra I (selected schools, items for the new program)	2026 to 2027 calendar
April 19 to 30, 2027	STAAR grades 3 to 8 mathematics; April 30 is the last make-up day	2026 to 2027 calendar
May 28, 2027	Grades 3 to 8 assessment results	2026 to 2027 calendar
August 23 to September 30, 2027	First SST beginning-of-year (BOY) test, math grades 3 to 8	2027 to 2028 calendar
January 3 to February 21, 2028	SST middle-of-year (MOY) test	2027 to 2028 calendar
May 8 to 12, 2028 (extended May 15 to 19)	SST end-of-year (EOY) test, math grades 3 to 8	2027 to 2028 calendar

What House Bill 8 changes

TEA’s HB 8 FAQ, updated 20 August 2026, says the bill was passed in September 2025 and replaces STAAR, beginning in the 2027 to 2028 school year, with the Student Success Tool (SST): a beginning-of-year, a middle-of-year and an end-of-year test.

The BOY and MOY tests will be adaptive, so each child sees different questions and those questions will not be released. The EOY test will be “static and linear”, the same for every student.

Shorter sittings

The FAQ sets expected time frames. Grades 3 and 4: 60 minutes for BOY and MOY, 90 minutes for EOY. Grades 5 to 8: 75 minutes and 105 minutes.

The four performance levels stay, and TEA must set SST cut points “at an equivalent level of rigor” to STAAR. Results are due no later than two business days after each window closes.

For a family, the practical point is continuity. The TEKS do not change because the test changes, and HB 8 FAQ question 13 confirms that TEA’s practice test site will be updated and kept. A child who learns grade-level math well in 2026 to 2027 is ready for either format.

Sources: 2026 to 2027 Student Assessment Testing Calendar, 2027 to 2028 calendar and Updated HB 8 FAQ, Texas Education Agency, read 31 October 2026. Your district sets the exact day inside each window.

On screen

What kinds of questions and tools does STAAR math use?

Since spring 2023, online STAAR math has mixed multiple choice with question types where the student builds the answer. Calculators are allowed only in grade 8.

Question types TEA lists for STAAR math (New Question Types by Grade Level and Content Area, January 2022, read 31 October 2026)
Question type	What the student does	Math grades
Equation editor	Types a fraction, expression, equation or inequality	3 to 8
Text entry	Types a short answer such as a number	3 to 8
Graphing	Plots points, draws lines, builds bar graphs	3 to 8
Fraction model	Splits a shape into equal parts and shades the fraction	3 to 5
Number line	Marks a point or an open or closed circle with a direction arrow	6 to 8
Match table grid	Sorts statements into categories in a grid	6 to 8
Inline choice, hot spot, drag and drop, multiselect	Picks from menus, clicks regions, drags values, or picks more than one answer	3 to 8

The calculator rule

TEA’s STAAR Calculator Policy says calculators “are not permitted” for students taking the grades 3 to 7 STAAR mathematics tests unless a student qualifies for one as an accommodation. In grade 8 a calculator is required, and each student must have a graphing calculator for the entire test.

Calculator apps on smartphones and smartwatches are not allowed, and the policy asks that students use the same kind of device they use in class.

What this means for practice

Five years of STAAR math, grades 3 to 7, are pencil and number sense. Practising with a calculator at home in those grades trains the wrong habit.

The equation editor rewards exact answers. A child who writes 0.6 when the question wants a fraction, or 1 7/8 when the box needs 15/8, loses a point that understanding had already earned. We practise entering answers in the form asked.

Sources: STAAR Calculator Policy and New Question Types, TEA, read 31 October 2026. Try the real interface on TEA’s Practice Test Site.

Scores

What score passes STAAR math, and what do the levels mean?

TEA reports four categories. Approaches Grade Level or above counts as passing; the scale score needed for each level is published for every grade.

Minimum scale scores for STAAR mathematics, grades 3 to 8 (TEA 2023 grades 3 to 8 performance standards, 19 TAC 101.3041(b)(1), read 31 October 2026)
Grade	Approaches Grade Level	Meets Grade Level	Masters Grade Level
3	1360	1471	1600
4	1462	1557	1690
5	1515	1634	1776
6	1616	1745	1889
7	1703	1793	1965
8	1754	1859	2009

How TEA defines the levels

TEA’s performance standards page puts it plainly: “Students who achieve Approaches Grade Level or higher on STAAR have passed the test.” Meets Grade Level means a high likelihood of success next year with perhaps some short-term support; Masters Grade Level means success expected with little or no intervention.

The scale scores are not percentages. They convert from raw points through tables TEA publishes after each administration.

How much rides on it

TEA’s one-page guide for families says “STAAR is not a high-stakes test for students” and that recent changes in Texas law removed student-level promotion consequences. A student who does not test earns a score of zero, and the school must then provide extra support.

Schools are rated partly on STAAR, which is why the pressure in March can feel bigger than the stakes for the child. Our aim is a child who is calm because they understand the math.

Sources: STAAR Performance Standards and What Families Should Know about STAAR, TEA, read 31 October 2026.

Worked examples

Two STAAR-level problems, worked the way we teach them

Both problems are ours, written at the level of the grade 5 and grade 7 TEKS. Neither is a released STAAR item; those are on TEA’s own site.

Grade 5, our problem. A recipe needs 2 1/2 pounds of flour. Maya makes 3/4 of the recipe and shares the flour she uses equally among 3 mixing bowls. How much flour goes in each bowl? Type the answer as a fraction.
Step 1: name the two operations before calculating. “3/4 of” is multiplication; “shares equally among 3” is division. Children who skip this step often add.
Step 2: multiply with improper fractions. 2 1/2 = 5/2, and 3/4 x 5/2 = 15/8, which is 1 7/8 pounds.
Step 3: divide by 3. 15/8 / 3 = 15/24 = 5/8. Each bowl gets 5/8 of a pound.
Step 4: check the size. 1 7/8 pounds split three ways should be a bit more than half a pound each. 5/8 is a little over 1/2, so the answer is reasonable. The box wants a fraction, so we enter 5/8, not 0.625.

Grade 7, our problem, no calculator. A store sells 6 notebooks for 4.50. At the same price, how much do 15 notebooks cost?
Find the unit rate in your head. 4.50 / 6 = 0.75, so each notebook costs 0.75.
Scale up. 15 x 0.75 = 11.25, which we get as 10 x 0.75 + 5 x 0.75 = 7.50 + 3.75.
Check with a second route. 15 is 2.5 times 6, and 2.5 x 4.50 = 11.25. Two routes agree, so we trust it.

The pattern matters more than the numbers: say what each phrase means, calculate exactly, then test the answer against common sense and a second method. That habit is what turns a two-point question from a coin toss into two points.

Practice set

A twelve-question STAAR math practice set, grades 3 to 8

Our own questions, two per grade, mapped to the blueprint category they practise. Answers in the last column; cover it first.

Original STAAR-style practice (ours, not TEA items), with answers
Grade	Question	Category	Answer
3	Which is greater, 3/8 or 3/4 of the same pizza? Explain with a drawing.	1	3/4 (bigger pieces)
3	A garden is 7 feet by 6 feet. What is its area?	3	42 square feet
4	Round 48,651 to the nearest thousand.	1	49,000
4	An angle is 3/8 of a full turn. How many degrees is it?	3	135 degrees
5	What is 2.4 x 0.3?	2	0.72
5	A box is 4 cm by 3 cm by 5 cm. What is its volume?	3	60 cubic centimeters
6	Order from least to greatest: -2, 1/2, -0.75, 0.6.	1	-2, -0.75, 1/2, 0.6
6	Solve 3x + 7 = 31.	2	x = 8
7	A spinner has 5 equal parts, 2 red. What is P(red) as a percent?	1	40 percent
7	A jacket priced at 60 is marked 25 percent off. What is the sale price?	2	45
8	A right triangle has legs 9 and 12. How long is the hypotenuse?	3	15
8	Which point lies on y = 2x - 3: (4, 5) or (5, 4)?	2	(4, 5)

For the real thing, TEA publishes every STAAR question and answer from past administrations. Use them on TEA’s Practice Test Site in the actual interface, and find answer keys and rationales on the STAAR Released Test Questions page. We use them for timed rehearsal near the end, never as the way to learn.

Six weeks out

A six-week plan to the April 2027 STAAR math window

Our plan, counted back from April 19, 2027. It assumes two lessons a week plus short practice at home.

Week of March 8: diagnose by category. One released test from TEA’s site, scored by reporting category, not just in total. The weakest category gets the next three weeks.
Weeks of March 15 and 22: rebuild the weak category. Teach the ideas again from scratch with drawings and real objects, then short mixed sets. No timed tests yet.
Week of March 29: two-point questions only. Equation editor, graphing and fraction model practice on the Practice Test Site, so the format holds no surprises.
Week of April 5: mixed review and one full timed test. Grades 3 to 7 without a calculator, grade 8 with the same graphing calculator the child will use on the day.
Week of April 12: light and confident. Ten-minute sets of mental math, a good night’s sleep before the district’s test day, and no new topics.

If the test is weeks away, not months

Focus on the category with the most points in your child’s grade. From the blueprints, that is computations and algebraic relationships in every grade except grade 8, where geometry and measurement nearly matches it.

If it is a year away

Learn the grade properly. With STAAR giving way to the SST beginning-of-year test in late summer 2027, steady understanding through the year will show up three times, not once.

Where the points are

The heaviest STAAR math category in each grade

Our reading of TEA’s blueprints: the reporting category with the most points available, and what we would secure first.

Largest reporting category by grade (points from TEA blueprints; the focus column is ours)
Grade	Heaviest category, points	Secure first
3	Computations and algebraic relationships, 13 to 17	Multiplication and division within 100
4	Computations and algebraic relationships, 12 to 16	Multi-digit multiplication, fraction addition
5	Computations and algebraic relationships, 17 to 21	Fraction and decimal operations
6	Computations and algebraic relationships, 14 to 19	Ratios, integers, one-step equations
7	Computations and algebraic relationships, 16 to 21	Proportions, percents, two-step equations
8	Computations and algebraic relationships, 17 to 22 (geometry 15 to 20)	Slope, linear equations, Pythagorean theorem

For parents

Ask the teacher for the category breakdown on your child’s last STAAR or benchmark report. One weak category is a much smaller problem than “bad at math”.

The TEKS for the grade are on TEA’s site; the assessed curriculum document lists exactly which ones can appear.

For students

Two-point questions have no choices to guess from. That is good news if you check your answer, because nobody can trick you with a wrong option.

Read the box: fraction, decimal or whole number. Give it what it asks for.

The catalogue

Math courses for Texas students, grade 3 to high school

Live lessons built on understanding, which is what the TEKS and every STAAR reporting category ask for.

I

Elementary

Grades 3 to 5

STTU / E / 01

Elementary math

Grades 1 to 5, TEKS-aware.

Open the syllabus

STTU / E / 02

Mental math

Calculator-free confidence.

Open the syllabus

STTU / E / 03

Abacus and mental math

Fast, visual arithmetic.

Open the syllabus

II

Middle school

Grades 6 to 8

STTU / M / 01

Middle school math

Ratios to the Pythagorean theorem.

Open the syllabus

STTU / M / 02

Math competitions

For students who want a stretch.

Open the syllabus

STTU / M / 03

Math through coding

Patterns and functions in Python.

Open the syllabus

III

Toward high school

Grade 8 and up

STTU / H / 01

Algebra foundations

Pre-algebra into Algebra I.

Open the syllabus

STTU / H / 02

High school math

Algebra to calculus.

Open the syllabus

STTU / H / 03

SAT Math

The digital SAT, later on.

Open the syllabus

How lessons run

Lessons that fit a Texas school week

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

After school CT

Weekday evening lessons on Texas time.

Weekends

Longer review sessions before the April window.

1-on-1

Paced to one reporting category at a time.

TEKS first

We teach the standard, not the trick.

No calculator habit

Grades 3 to 7 practise by hand.

Exact answers

Fractions typed the way the box wants.

Released tests late

Rehearsal at the end, on TEA’s site.

Ready for SST too

Understanding carries into 2027 to 2028.

Group or private

Fifteen to twenty, or one to one.

Student work

What our students build

Some of our older students turn their math into working apps. More on student labs.

AI and ML

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Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

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An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

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Web app

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A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

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Fees

STAAR math classes are billed month by month in US dollars with no contract, so a family can start in January for the April window and stop after results come home.

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One to one

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a month, billed in US dollars

A teacher to yourself
One category at a time
Times on Texas time

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Questions from Texas families

STAAR math: common questions

When is the STAAR math test in 2027?

TEA's 2026 to 2027 testing calendar sets grades 3 to 8 mathematics for April 19 to April 30, 2027, with April 30 the last day for make-ups. Your district chooses the exact day inside that window, so ask the school.

How many questions are on the STAAR math test?

It depends on the grade. TEA's blueprints give 30 questions in grade 3, 32 in grade 4, 34 in grade 5, 36 in grade 6, 38 in grade 7 and 40 in grade 8, each with some two-point questions.

Can my child use a calculator on STAAR math?

Only in grade 8. TEA's calculator policy does not permit calculators on the grades 3 to 7 math tests unless a student qualifies for one as an accommodation, and it requires a graphing calculator throughout the grade 8 test.

What score do you need to pass STAAR math?

Approaches Grade Level or higher counts as passing. TEA publishes the minimum scale score for each grade: for example 1360 in grade 3 and 1754 in grade 8.

Is STAAR being replaced?

Yes. Under House Bill 8, passed in September 2025, TEA replaces STAAR with the Student Success Tool from the 2027 to 2028 school year, with beginning, middle and end-of-year tests. Spring 2027 is the last STAAR administration for grades 3 to 8.

Does failing STAAR math mean my child repeats the grade?

TEA's family guide says STAAR is not a high-stakes test for students and that recent changes in Texas law removed student-level promotion consequences. Schools do use results to plan extra support.

Where can we find STAAR math practice tests?

TEA releases its tests. Use the Practice Test Site to try them in the real online interface, and the STAAR Released Test Questions page for answer keys and rationales.

What is a two-point question on STAAR math?

A non-multiple-choice question, such as typing an answer in an equation editor or drawing on a graph, worth two points. In grade 5, eight of them carry 16 of the 42 points.

When are your STAAR math classes?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Lessons are scheduled on Central Time for Texas families.

Are you connected with TEA or STAAR?

No. Modern Age Coders is an independent online school. We teach the TEKS, quote TEA's published documents and link to TEA's own practice material; we never copy released questions.

Elsewhere on this site

Related pages

More math help for Texas and US families.

Third grade math tutoring

The first STAAR year, grade by grade.

Fifth grade math tutoring

Fractions and decimals before middle school.

Eighth grade math tutoring

Slope, functions and the calculator year.

Common Core vs traditional math

Why Texas, with its TEKS, is a different case.

Math competitions for middle school

For children who finish STAAR early.

Coding classes in Texas

Our page for Texas families.

Related pages in this guide

Part of the guide: US state math tests by state

State tests, grades 3 to 8

High school end-of-course and graduation tests

Standards behind the tests

More guides: US gifted and selective school tests · US math placement and college readiness tests · Homeschool and school math curricula guide · US math and coding competitions guide

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Three courses that teach the TEKS behind STAAR math

Elementary math, grades 3 to 5

Middle school math, grades 6 to 8

Mental math

How many questions are on the STAAR math test in each grade?

What a two-point question is

Who sits it

What do the four STAAR math reporting categories cover?

Reading the shift

Readiness and supporting standards

When is the STAAR math test in 2027, and what replaces it?

What House Bill 8 changes

Shorter sittings

What kinds of questions and tools does STAAR math use?

The calculator rule

What this means for practice

What score passes STAAR math, and what do the levels mean?

How TEA defines the levels

How much rides on it

Two STAAR-level problems, worked the way we teach them

A twelve-question STAAR math practice set, grades 3 to 8

A six-week plan to the April 2027 STAAR math window

If the test is weeks away, not months

If it is a year away

The heaviest STAAR math category in each grade

For parents

For students

Math courses for Texas students, grade 3 to high school

Elementary

Elementary math

Mental math

Abacus and mental math

Middle school

Middle school math

Math competitions

Math through coding

Toward high school

Algebra foundations

High school math

SAT Math

Lessons that fit a Texas school week

TEKS first

No calculator habit

Exact answers

Released tests late

Ready for SST too

Group or private

What our students build

NutriLife

Misti

GuardianX

SkyCast

Fees

Rated 4.9 across 547 Google reviews

STAAR math: common questions

When is the STAAR math test in 2027?

How many questions are on the STAAR math test?

Can my child use a calculator on STAAR math?

What score do you need to pass STAAR math?

Is STAAR being replaced?

Does failing STAAR math mean my child repeats the grade?

Where can we find STAAR math practice tests?

What is a two-point question on STAAR math?

When are your STAAR math classes?

Are you connected with TEA or STAAR?

Related pages

Third grade math tutoring

Fifth grade math tutoring

Eighth grade math tutoring

Common Core vs traditional math

Math competitions for middle school

Coding classes in Texas

Related pages in this guide

State tests, grades 3 to 8

High school end-of-course and graduation tests

Standards behind the tests

Book a free first class

Want a class sooner? Book a priority demo

Keep exploring Modern Age Coders

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