More than 80,000 fifth-graders and 60,000 eighth-graders in the state are at risk of being held back this year because of poor performance on state standardized tests under a Texas law banning social promotion.
Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality.
In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas.
A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Posted in
Public Education
House Votes to Reduce State Exams in Lower Grades
UPDATED: A measure taking aim at the firm that develops the state’s standardized tests briefly stalled legislation reducing high-stakes exams for elementary and middle school students before it finally passed the Texas House on Tuesday.
Posted in
Public Education
Charter Bill Brings New Faces to Education Debate
As lawmakers work on charter school legislation, lobbyists better known for their work in other areas have been showing up regularly at education committee hearings.
Posted in
Public Education
Despite Concerns, TEA Moving Forward on A-F School Ratings Plan
Against the recommendation of school leaders and amid skepticism from some lawmakers, the Texas Education Agency will continue working toward a transition to a public school accountability ratings system with grades of A through F.
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Public Education
Senate Panel Discusses Scrutiny of State Testing Contracts
The procedures that led to the state’s five-year, $468 million standardized testing contract with Pearson were the focus of a Senate panel’s hearing Tuesday on legislation that would change how the state handles future agreements.
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Economy
Senate OKs Electric Rebates From Fund to Assist Poor
All but 10 percent of a nearly $1 billion state fund intended to assist the poor with utility payments would be rebated to electric customers under a measure that preliminarily passed the Texas Senate on Monday.
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Public Education
Seeking to Pare State Exams, Lawmakers Take Aim at Testing Firm
As the Texas Legislature looks to overhaul the state’s standardized testing program amid outcry from parents and school leaders, state lawmakers have focused their criticism on the company that develops the tests.
Posted in
State Government
Politics Could Determine Travis County DA’s Future
Democratic Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg’s decision not to resign over her drunken driving conviction may have its roots in party politics; Republican Gov. Rick Perry would get to appoint her replacement.
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Public Education
High School Curriculum Bill Headed to Senate Floor
At a hearing Tuesday, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, slammed national media coverage of the Legislature’s effort to change high school diploma requirements and reduce high-stakes exams.
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Public Education
Nixing Algebra II Not Out of the Equation in Texas
As Texas reconsiders whether all students should take algebra II to earn a high school diploma, it is bucking a national trend that it helped launch a decade ago toward more stringent math curriculum.
