Posted on 05/15/2007 3:51:19 PM PDT by devane617
AUSTIN – House members tentatively voted Monday to scrap a 22-year-old requirement that high school students pass a standardized test to graduate – acting just days after a record number of seniors were told they won't get diplomas this month because they failed the test. A student testing bill approved by the House would shift schools to a new assessment program that would require students to take a dozen end-of-course exams in core subjects, with scores counting for 25 percent of the grade in each subject. Unlike an earlier Senate version of the legislation, however, students would not have to pass any of the end-of-course exams to earn a diploma, as long as they had a passing grade in their courses. Under the Senate proposal, students would have to have a passing average on the 12 end-of-course tests to get a diploma, and the tests would count for 15 percent of the final grade in each course. The House measure, which was approved on a voice vote and faces a final vote today, is a sharp turn in academic standards in Texas high schools, where students have had to pass a standardized graduation test since 1985.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
Right. I kind of think "basil" will understand, though.
This is further evidence that states will do anything but actually educate. It's too much work for all involved to create a high standard and maintain it. It's even harder, for a myriad of reasons, to try to push children to learn and work hard to learn.
The Exit TAKS is given to Juniors. Seniors have had FOUR chances to pass the test by the end of their senior year.
That way, the schools can improve their graduation rates by awarding passing grades to every student in every class.
It seems to me that the new system would hold the course teachers' feet to the fire. If their students aren't passing these tests, it seem to me it would put the onus on the teachers to be sure that the students were learning what she/he is teaching.
I'm always for dumping a lot of responsibility into the individual teacher's lap. Of course I'm sure the teachers' unions will hate this.
The article wasn’t as clear as i’d like - i think the writer had his work “edited” or maybe it was not too clear to begin with? huh - lame writing is pervasive in newspapers.
i wonder if it’s edit problems or writing problems.
Exactly. The curriculum will be weakened so that the students pass the end of course exam. You will have districts around Houston teaching four or five years below age level just so they pass the end of course exam.
He he he... you didn’t do anything to confuse anyone I don’t think. I think it was poorly written piece PLUS it had to be excerpted.
That makes it hard to get much out of unless one is willing to spend time and energy analyzing some random newspaper article when other more productive things can be done with the time!
Oh—surely there will be some state standard for course curriculum. I certainly hope that’s not left up to the individual teacher. Of course, I also think teachers should be required to take regular tests, too——but I have no illusions that that will happen any time soon.
Love ya Basil, but you're wrong on this one. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to pass the existing tests. If you can't pass this test, you shouldn't graduate until you do.
My grandfather was on the school board in our little town in the '40s. In his day, the literacy rate was 99%. Foreigners assimilated into the system, got jobs, got educated and thrived. Now we do nothing but coddle the inept. We are far too concerned with making sure these kids have a good self image and don't give a damn whether they learn basic survival skills.
My daughters are not only expected to pass, but are expected to excel. They have each taken 4 or 5 TX TAKS tests and done well on each. I blame the parents as much as the kids, who are largely on auto-pilot.
We have a similar test in Arizona where Students take it sophomore year and have 2-3 chances every year to pass. I remember about 100 seniors still had not passed it, i also remember that most of the questions where simple. An example would be “On a 6-sided cube numbered 1 - 6 what are the odds of rolling a 3 or less� I believe i missed 2 questions, sadly.
What you need to know is why this started in the first place. Liberalism. In the 1980’s The Liberal way of not testing fad and gone from California through Texas. Students were showing declining SAT test and failing the basics in college. Yet they all had passed High School. The invention of OBE Outcome Based Education, the use of Portfolios instead of grades, the idea that rote memorization of facts and figures was a waste of brain space. The idea of critical thinking instead of learning math and science. The use of calculators instead of learning math facts. Site reading instead of phonics. The reaction of conservative parents was the formation of the Christian Coalitions and the running of conservatives in the Houston area for school boards. They were successful and decided they had to pass a state law requiring a base level of knowledge of basic skills standardized testing of Texas students to make sure the at least had a rudimentary basic level of knowledge The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS), a criterion-referenced test, was mandated by the Texas legislature in 1984 to be instituted beginning with the school year 1985-86. This has been modified into to the current testing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Assessment_of_Academic_Skills
At the same time Home schooling took off http://www.thsc.org/about_us/hs_history_lesson.asp
Then why eliminate the TAKS?
I don’t know of any schools that do that.
My school didn’t.
We didn’t have graduation exams, either.
We are failing to educate our children.
The education system is failing.
And all the educrats want is lower standards, more money and removal of systems to ensure accountability.
End of course tests mean much less wrt accountability, especially if there is not a State-wide common test.
This is a defeat for educational excellence.
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