At this morning's TribLive conversation, incoming state Reps. Cecil Bell Jr., Giovanni Capriglione and Mary Gonzalez talked about school finance, standardized testing and the prospect of school choice legislation in the 83rd Session.
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Comments (2)
Texas Parents Opt Out of State Tests via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Encouraging to see more state representatives agree that the STAAR testing system is NOT working and needs to be changed.
blanca fogleman
The test itself is only the catalyst for many other ideas that are detrimental to learning. The TAAS, TAKS and STAAR have created an unreasonable expectation. The students, parents and teachers have discovered the ugly truth.. The worst side effect is that learning is no longer the focus. The teachers know this but so do our students. Our parents who many times are left out of the loop are frustrated at not knowing "why" their children are not learning. I do not agree with everything in the movie, Won't Back Down, but I have seen that frustration before. When you teach to a test and begin there as your rationale for everything else, then the scores become the important thing. It is the driving focus. This is why we have organizations that will sell you business models of success. There banner is: data driven instruction. This led to requiring pretest and post tests that fit the models that were created with standardized test in mind. No Child Left Behind meant no schools with low scores. It will take a paradigm shift in our thinking. However, I am not sure that Pearson Testing will allow that to happen. This may be the year that vouchers or choice, as Sen Dan Patrick phrases it, will finally happen. Parents are so unhappy with public school that any alternative will be better than the unhappy public school building. Do not waste time blaming teachers or non existent unions in Texas. Teachers in Texas are creative but no amount of creativity, determination and dedication can erase the damage done every year by standardized testing.