What To Do With Public Education
Although the start of the 81st Legislature is about eight months (and a general election) away, legislators are already busy trying to figure out how they’ll tackle some key issues (remember those interim charges?). Of course, education tops the list, and the Austin American Statesman has a tidbit on that:
Rating public schools based on the strides students make on standardized tests, and not simply whether they pass or fail, is among the changes some state lawmakers want considered next year.
Talk of shaking up the way Texas measures how public schools are doing comes as momentum seems to be building for significant reforms to the oft-criticized school accountability system when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
Educators and parents have increasingly voiced dissatisfaction with the grading system that was implemented in 1994, arguing that increased federal attention and a stronger state curriculum have made it obsolete.
Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, favors a shift that would focus on academic improvement of students during the school year rather than on meeting minimum standards on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
There are actually two issues at play here. First, school accountability and, second, student achievement. While both areas seem to be heading in the same direction (taking emphasis off standardized tests), just saying “we’ll put less emphasis on the TAKS test,” is barley half the puzzle. Shifting the emphasis from standardized testing to overall achievement–while the right idea–will essentially mean an entire rewrite for school district and campus accountability standards. That, in and of itself, will not be a walk in the park for legislators, who will continue their work on education issues through the spring and summer.
The House Public Education Committee, in fact, has a meeting set for April 21 to discuss its interim charges, although it isn’t one of their interim charges related to TAKS.
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