The latest Texas Education Agency news from The Texas Tribune.
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. Full Story
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Batheja on a House budget without vouchers or Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on obstacles to a new power plant in El Paso, Permenter on deer breeder regulations, E. Smith’s interview with San Antonio’s Castro twins, Galbraith on proposals for new underground water reservoirs, Root finds holes in a UT regent's appointment files, M. Smith on a planned school rating system that defied recommendations, Murphy maps oil and gas disposal wells in Texas, Dehn on objections to a bigger Medicaid program and Hamilton on efforts to lure gun makers to Texas: The best of our best for the week of April 1-5, 2013. Full Story
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At the Trib's February 25 symposium on public education at Rice University, I talked choice, testing, school finance and the intersection of policy and politics with four former state commissioners of education: Mike Moses, Jim Nelson, Shirley Richardson and Robert Scott. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday voiced his support for revamping the state's newly implemented student assessment system. Full Story
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Last spring, Texas students in grades three through eight took the STAAR exams for the first time. Using results from Pearson Education, the state's testing contractor, this interactive provides the first look at how the school districts performed. Full Story
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Last spring, Texas ninth graders took the STAAR end-of-course exams for the first time. Use our interactive to see how each of the state's school districts performed on the new tests. Full Story
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In a hearing on Wednesday, senators probed Michael Williams, the new head of the Texas Education Agency, on student assessments and funding for remedial tutoring. Full Story
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Full video of my Jan. 10 TribLive conversation with Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams addressed the hottest topic in public education in Texas today: the state's standardized testing regimen. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams talked about possible legislation that would increase access to firearms for teachers and other school personnel. Full Story
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As the El Paso school district continues to reel from a testing scandal, one district program is focusing on the students who dropped out as a result of pressure from school officials. Full Story
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Thanks to a new law, a consortium of school districts could offer a new way forward as policymakers address the increasingly heated opposition to the state's high-stakes standardized test-based accountability system. Full Story
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More black and Hispanic students in Texas are taking the SAT, but they aren't doing as well, according to a report released Monday by the Texas Education Agency. Full Story
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New Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams will get a salary bump of about $29,000 over his predecessor, the governor's office confirmed Friday. Full Story
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Texas plans to join the more than 30 states that have already asked for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act's requirements, according to a letter new state Education Commissioner Michael Williams sent school districts Thursday. Full Story
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Only about a quarter of the state's Class of 2012 students are college ready, according to a new report by the ACT. Texas Education Agency officials attribute the numbers to an increase in students taking the test. Full Story
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Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, Texas public schools are supposed to have 100 percent passing rates in reading and math by 2014. The chances of meeting that benchmark are slim. So what happens next? Full Story
In 2011, Texas drastically changed the way it regulates school district purchases of instructional materials. Last week, a new online marketplace opened, giving districts more than 100,000 options to exercise their newfound freedoms. Full Story
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Only 44 percent of Texas schools met No Child Left Behind requirements for 2012. That's a drop from 66 percent last year, meaning many of them will be subject to federal sanctions. Full Story
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Texas is now about to face six lawsuits targeting the way it funds public schools. The Texas Charter School Association announced Tuesday it would join in legal action against the state over school financing. Full Story
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