Whoa, you're right about the STAAR testing system. I too agree that it's idiotic. Faithful daily work is much more important than standardized tests.
I do hope you find teaching materials that are best for you. Teaching Textbooks' explanations look more conversational than Saxon's are...
I used some of the English Workshop series mentioned in the eighth grade curriculum. Though I can't vouch for that specific grade ( the first worktext I used was in ninth), I would say that those series are a nice blend of grammar and composition. (My curriculum recommended doing the...