Lessons learned from the 2025 6th Grade Math STAAR

Using a modified version of the statewide item analysis report, I examined the readiness standards that had less than 60% mastery. Each standard has both an analysis of the items themselves to infer what made them so difficult and instructional implications for educators to ensure a more successful 2026 STAAR test.

Standard	# of items	% mastery
6.8D	1	25
6.7D	1	28
6.5B	1	31
6.8A	1	41
6.12D	1	42
6.10A	1	46
6.3E	2	49.5
6.2D	2	50.5
6.12C	2	51.5
6.4B	2	51.5
6.13A	1	55
6.3D	2	55
6.6C	1	58

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Access the slide deck here.

6.8D - 25% overall mastery

determine solutions for problems involving the area of rectangles, parallelograms, trapezoids, and triangles and volume of right rectangular prisms where dimensions are positive rational numbers

#21 - 25% correct

Analysis

• Students had to apply knowledge of the area of trapezoids, rectangles, triangles, squares, and parallelograms ALL within the same problem

• So many shapes sometimes leads students to attempt spatial reasoning rather calculation

Instructional Implications

• Show students that the area for parallelogram, square, and rectangle are all base x height and a triangle is simple half of that

• Formula for area of a trapezoid is more nuanced and students should be comfortable using formulas from the reference material

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6.7D - 28% overall mastery

generate equivalent expressions using the properties of operations: inverse, identity, commutative, associative, and distributive properties

#30 - 28% correct

Analysis

• Students needed knowledge of the distributive property and various ways to show division (6.2E) to solve this problem

• These properties are the foundation for algebraic thinking and success in math moving forward

  
  

Instructional Implications

• You cannot spend enough time with the distributive property

• Use area models to graphically represent the distributive property

• Start transitioning from using the ÷ symbol to fraction (/) notation to denote division

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Watch the full walkthrough of all 36 items on the 2025 6th Grade STAAR below.

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6.5B - 31% overall mastery

solve real-world problems to find the whole given a part and the percent, to find the part given the whole and the percent, and to find the percent given the part and the whole, including the use of concrete and pictorial models

#14 - 31% correct

Analysis

• More students chose B (34%) than the correct answer, incorrectly dividing $36,000 by 3

• Answer distribution for A (14%) and D (20%) suggest overall confusion

Instructional Implications

• Emphasize that 3% increase can be calculated by multiplying by 0.03

• This one-step problem could have easily been a two-step problem if students were tasked to find the new salary.

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6.8A - 41% overall mastery

extend previous knowledge of triangles and their properties to include the sum of angles of a triangle, the relationship between the lengths of sides and measures of angles in a triangle, and determining when three lengths form a triangle

#31 - 31% correct

Analysis

• 25% chose C (three equivalent measures) and 20% chose B (angles add to 360°

• Answer distribution suggests lack of familiarity with the Triangle Sum Theorem

Instructional Implications

• Show the relationship between a rectangle (four right angles = 360°) and cutting it in half, creating two triangles that equal 180° each

• Conceptual understanding lasts longer than memorizing random facts

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6.12D - 42% overall mastery

summarize categorical data with numerical and graphical summaries, including the mode, the percent of values in each category (relative frequency table), and the percent bar graph, and use these summaries to describe the data distribution

#9 - 42% correct

Analysis

• This question requires potentially 4x as much work as other problems since each answer choice must be interpreted individually

• 40% chose D (misinterpreted 6 a.m. as 55% rather than 45%)

Instructional Implications

• Verify you are reading the percent bar graph correct by finding the value for each section and checking that the sum is 100%

• Each statement should be evaluated algebraically

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6.10A - 46% overall mastery

model and solve one-variable, one-step equations and inequalities that represent problems, including geometric concepts

#22 - 46% correct

Analysis

• Students did not need to struggle with < or > vs ≤ or ≥

• Incorrect answers ranged from 17% - 20%, signifying guessing

• After identifying the unit rate, students needed to correctly interpret the inequality

Instructional Implications

• Approach these problems in two steps - identifying the unit rate and interpreting the inequality

• Provide students with opportunities to verbalize why they think a certain inequality is correct

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6.3E - 49.5% overall mastery

multiply and divide positive rational numbers fluently

#12 - 64% correct

#20 - 35% correct

Analysis

• #12 was fairly simple - 18% chose C (divided 178 by 5)

• For #20, students needed to see division as the same as multiplying by the reciprocal (6.3A)

• 30% chose A (changed operation to multiplication but didn’t use the reciprocal)

Instructional Implications

• Dividing by a fraction requires more steps than multiplying with a decimal

• Cross-cancellation can make large fraction multiplication simplified

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6.2D - 50.5% overall mastery

order a set of rational numbers arising from mathematical and real-world contexts

#11 - 29% full credit; 32% partial credit; 40% no credit

#33 - 56% correct

Analysis

• #11 required the use of inequalities rather than a list, mimicking a number line in orientation

• Students had to navigate fractions and decimals, both positive and negative

• #33 was a more traditional answer type with a much higher success rate

Instructional Implications

• Utilize the inequality format going in both directions

• Intermix positive and negative, fractions and decimals

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6.12C - 51.5% overall mastery

summarize numeric data with numerical summaries, including the mean and median (measures of center) and the range and interquartile range (IQR) (measures of spread), and use these summaries to describe the center, spread, and shape of the data distribution

#13 - 28% full credit; 29% partial credit; 43% no credit

#19- 60% correct

Analysis

• #13 assessed two measures of center, potentially confusing students, and included decimals

• #19 is simply a range calculation but the data set is not ordered

• 16% chose C, subtracting the first number on the list (16) from the last (34)

Instructional Implications

• When discussing numerical summaries, use language like “measures of center” and “measures of spread” to classify the different calculations

• Help students understand why these measures are beneficial and what they potentially signify

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6.4B - 51.5% overall mastery

apply qualitative and quantitative reasoning to solve prediction and comparison of real-world problems involving ratios and rates

#6 - 45% correct

#25 - 58% correct

Analysis

• #6 asked students to use the total (20) in the proportion though it’s not given

• 28% chose D, multiplying 7/13 by 3000

• #25 was more straightforward, offering students the opportunity to find and use a unit rate or by doubling $101.25

• Reasonableness could have eliminated two answer choices (9 is slightly less than double 5, so the answer will be slightly less than double $112.50)

Instructional Implications

• Instead of having students memorize one way to solve these problems, encourage and model flexible approaches to deepen understanding

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6.13A - 55% overall mastery

interpret numeric data summarized in dot plots, stem-and-leaf plots, histograms, and box plots

#29 - 55% correct

Analysis

• Each statement had to be evaluated separately

• 27% chose C (50 & 99 are both less than 200)

Instructional Implications

• When evaluating statements, students should turn each sentence into an expression, equation, or inequality

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6.3D - 55% overall mastery

add, subtract, multiply, and divide integers fluently

#2 - 75% correct

#24 - 35% correct

Analysis

• Little difficulty with #2

• #24 is closely aligned with order of operations in 5th grade (5.4F) and 6th grade (6.7A)

• Answer choices (A - 25%; D - 27%) indicated large scale confusion

• To get A, students multiplied -8 and 2 first

• To get D, students subtracted 2 - 5, then added 3 to get 0, then added -8 and -4

Instructional Implications

• Order of operations should be used fluidly with all four operations

• 6th graders should be including two levels of grouping and now exponents

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6.6C - 58% overall mastery

represent a given situation using verbal descriptions, tables, graphs, and equations in the form y = kx or y = x + b

#8 - 43% full credit; 29% partial credit; 27% no credit

Analysis

• Table of values relationship could be shown in three possible ways

  • y = x ÷ 4

  • y = x / 4

  • y = ¼ x

• This is the first time 6.6C has asked for students to evaluate both a table of values and a graph in the same question

Instructional Implications

• Tables of values, graphs, equations, and verbal descriptions should be used interchangeably to describe each other

• Provide steps and tools for deciding whether it’s an additive or multiplicative relationship