STAAR Rollout May Bring More Duties for Counselors
In the fall, the anticipated consequences of a $4 billion reduction in state financing to school districts will begin to become apparent to Texas students and their parents: fewer teachers, bigger classes and sparse extracurricular programs.
For some, though, the most drastic change will come in the spring, when the state’s approximately 350,000 new ninth graders will be the first to take the end-of-course exams that are part of the new standardized testing system known as STARR, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.
The new assessment program, which is so complex that the superintendent of the ...
Comments (14)
Dave S
Figuring out what purpose school counselors serve has long been a problem. I'm not in education, but I met a bunch of teachers in the last couple of years, and none thought much of counselors. I heard plenty of eye-rolling examples of counselors asking teachers to do something that the teachers thought was the counselors' job. When I was a student, the counselors didn't seem to do anything either.
Of course, none of that really matters. Since the state refuses to define what is required to pass the test, and instead "scales" the results AFTER seeing them, the test is educationally meaningless.
Karen Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
And they will blame the teachers when the kids fail when they should blame Perry/GOP. Are Texans really this stupid?
Monterayo Cookie Wali via Texas Tribune on Facebook
What do counselors really do I am really want to know. My child only saw her 3 times in 4 years. They never have time! The should be called schedulers specialist.
Tim Collins via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I'd like to see a side by side two column spreadsheet of the current budget by major function showing previous budget/actual spending and the new budget. For example prev. budget/actual state spending on Education in col a and current year budegt in col. b. I suspect all this talk of cuts hides some reality
Angela Cowan- Groves via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Counselors are used as testing coordinators
Bambi Clark via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Schools are cutting back on counselors to keep teachers. Will be interesting.
Wendy Bolen Andreen via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Wali - "Scheduler Specialist" is very appropriate! I gave up counting how many 'overtime' hours I spent at school handling paperwork so I could see students during the day and return phone calls at 7 & 8 pm to parents. Counselors spend our own money for the degree because we want to work with people...not paper. But our days are filled with documentation, schedules, testing, and paperwork. STAAR, TAKS, TAAS...wrong on so many levels and STAAR is completely ridiculous. When was the last time any of the people in the legislature and TEA actually live through the school year as a teacher or counselor? The hours spent organizing and administering these tests are ridiculous. How can anyone possibly believe that micro-testing will achieve critical thinkers and advanced learners? When will the state figure out that college admissions offices don't care about a state test. That's not on the list of admissions priorities. The state is stripping our schools of teachers and counselors (you know, the ones actually educating our students) but those in the 'testing departments' of the state certainly have job security as their jobs are perpetuated. And then there is the testing company who is reaping huge financial benefits from this outrageous testing debacle. Forget which side of the political aisle you favor...both parties have contributed to this disaster and most of the people of Texas have ignored the pleas of the educators and the plight of this system. How did the public let this happen? Yes, we all have to take responsibility for this mess and getting rid of STAAR would be a step toward helping our schools. ~former high school counselor & parent
Karen Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
My son's high school counselor helped my son so much with college applications and applying for scholarships. I don't know what we would have done without her.
Kathi Thomas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Why are we doing something that costs more when we have less money? Isn't that an unfunded mandate. I thought the GO was against unfunded mandates.
A parent
It seems like Texas changes the name if its standardized testing every three to five years. Question: Who is making money from the barrage of testing materials associated with standardized testing? And What tie do they have to the Perry campaign? Texas ranks 49th in education, in case any of you weren't already aware.
Kristen Klement Weinzapfel via Texas Tribune on Facebook
My mother worked for years as the only school counselor for K-12. She put in about 60 hours a week, got constant phone calls from parents at all hours of the day and night, and had to coordinate all testing at all levels. To save money, the district placed her on a teacher pay scale, even though she was on a 10.5 month contract and had to get additional certifications. I know a lot of people in Austin believe that because counselors aren't in the classroom, they aren't as essential. However, in smaller districts, the counselor is an asst. Administrator and fills many different roles. It's exhausting work, for sure, and the demands of testing remove counselors from other essential duties- namely, working with kids who need all sorts of help.
Robert Courtemanche via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Of course we can cut teacher positions, cut fine arts programs, but cut back on testing? Never! God Forbid!
Robert Courtemanche via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The beatings will continue until morale improves, or until there aren't any good teachers left. (Won't take long now)
Texascattleco
Counselors in different districts may have different roles but one thing is constant they are THE person that has been in charge of getting the right testing materials distributed to sometimes more than one campus and gathering all of the materials after tests and getting them sent to the state. This alone takes a large part of time away from counseling students. They have to be extremely organized to do their job.