STAAR tests won't count toward grades

Associated Press

Updated: Feb 17, 2012 6:11 PM

AUSTIN (AP/KXAN) — The Texas Education Commissioner announced Friday afternoon that results of the new standardized statewide tests won't count toward grades. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™) were intended to replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in spring.

Robert Scott, head of the Texas Education Agency, signed an order deferring a requirement that STAAR results count toward 15 percent of the grades of some high school students in core subjects this year.

Scott's move came following public outcry that poor performance on the test could make kids less attractive to university admissions boards.

Education leaders in the Texas House and Senate wrote to Scott recently, clarifying that he could delay implementing the rule. It had been designed to ensure students take STAAR seriously.

Lawmakers said waiting a year before STAAR impacts grades will give officials a chance to fully implement it.

Scott's office issued the following statement:

“Based on my conversations with the Governor's Office and clarification of legislative intent from the House and Senate, I am modifying the Texas Education Agency’s House Bill 3 Transition Plan. The modification gives public school districts and charter schools the ability to defer implementation of the statutory provision that requires performance on an end-of-course assessment to count as 15 percent of a student’s final course grade. The modification applies only to the 15 percent grading requirement in Chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code, and will affect only the 2011-2012 school year. For this school year, the ultimate decision whether to include end-of-course exam scores as part of course grades will be determined locally by school districts and charter schools.

“The law still requires students that are first entering the ninth grade in the 2011-2012 school year to achieve a cumulative score on the end-of-course assessments to complete their graduation requirements. Districts and charters choosing to defer implementation of the 15 percent requirement for the 2011-2012 school year will only need to notify TEA of that decision. Districts and charter schools will receive instructions from the agency regarding this policy change next week.

“I remain committed to rigorous public school accountability, and to implementing the reforms in Senate Bill 1031 from the 80th Legislative Session and House Bill 3 from the 81st Legislative Session. The new assessment system will be better for students and educators, and will better ensure Texas students are ready for postsecondary success.”

Rep. Rob Eissler, chairman of the House Public Education Committee then gave Scott a separate letter signed by himself and 113 other House members containing similar guidance.

STAAR includes tests for grades three to eight. Then in high school, 12 tests will be given at the end of courses in Algebra I and II; geometry; biology; chemistry; physics; English I, II and III; world geography; world history; and U.S. history. Their results had been slated to count toward final grades.

Adding to critics' concerns was the fact that some school districts had already decided that while high school STAAR tests were meant to affect grades, they wouldn't change students' existing grade point averages or class ranks. Those instead were calculated without STAAR scores that wouldn't be ready until the end of the year.

Other districts had withheld GPAs, however, until the test results were ready. Scott's move will force those districts to change those rules for this year.

STAAR will also eventually be used to help authorities evaluate the quality of instruction in schools, but districts had already been given a year's delay from consequences of the test results as they implement the new testing system.

Austin Independent School District Superintendent Meria Carstarphen issued a statement late Friday, which read:

“We welcome the news and flexibility provided by the commissioner. The deferral of this requirement gives our Board of Trustees the ability to decide whether end-of-course examinations will affect student’s course grades for this school year. The board is scheduled to discuss this topic at Monday’s work session, with possible action Feb. 27.

“During this initial year for the new state assessments, we are grateful because this change will relieve some of the pressures on our students. However, students will still be required to pass these tests in order to graduate.

“The district will communicate directly with parents after Monday’s work session with the board.”
 

Charter schools

Meanwhile, the Texas House Public Education committee is discussing the success and failure of charter schools statewide.

Members on Friday are evaluating what works at the best charter schools and how those lessons can be applied to charter schools that aren't successful.

Charter schools were first approved in Texas in 1995 and are allowed to operate with fewer legal restrictions than regular public schools so as to allow for innovation.

Current law caps the number of open-enrollment charter schools in the state at 215, and 206 are currently operating.

Some Republicans have clamored for the cap to be increased.

But critics point to existing charter schools that are struggling with low student and teacher performance and argue they should be improved before new ones are allowed.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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