While schools are moving to the new State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness ( STAAR) tests, that doesn’t mean students are getting out of testing altogether.

Port Aransas High School sophomores and juniors will take the TAKS English language arts tests on Wednesday, March 7, beginning at 8 a.m.

Freshmen and seniors will not have class that day; they won’t have to report to school until 12:15 for lunch or 12:55 for fourth-period classes. Normal class schedules will follow for the rest of the day.

Freshmen or seniors who come to the school before 12:15 p.m. should report directly to the gym, said high school principal Sharon McKinney.

Freshmen will take the new STAAR end-of-course exam for English writing on Monday, March 26, at 8 a.m. and the English reading test at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27. All other students in grades 10-12 will attend classes according to their regular class schedules on both days, McKinney said.

Students at H. G. Olsen Elementary School and Brundrett Middle School are not scheduled for the tests until Tuesday, March 27.