New test to replace TAKS

Local News

Discussion

February 16, 2010

By PAUL STONE Palestine Herald-Press The Palestine Herald-Press Tue Feb 16, 2010, 07:40 PM CST

— Palestine Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Thomas A. Wallis told trustees Monday that the standardized TAKS test, in place in Texas since 2003, will soon be replaced with more rigorous, end-of-course exams.

Late last month, Wallis attended the Texas Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference in Austin where Texas Commissioner of Education Robert Scott addressed the gathering about the upcoming shift to a battery of end-of-course exams which will be called the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR).

TAKS is expected to remain in place for high school graduating classes through 2014, according to Wallis.

Students in the graduating Class of 2015, who are currently in seventh grade, will be the first students who must meet the end-of-course testing requirements, as well as pass their classes, in order to earn a high school diploma.

Wallis addressed PISD trustees during the board’s regular monthly meeting Monday night at Story Elementary School.

The PISD superintendent said an advantage of end-of-course testing will be that the students will be tested on material from classes taken the same school year. In TAKS, students are sometimes tested in a subject area they have not taken in a year or even longer.

The new rating system will place a heavy emphasis on college readiness, the superintendent added.

“We have to now start pushing much higher level courses, more rigor,” Wallis said during Monday’s meeting. “Basically, what we’ve got to start doing is pushing college readiness.”

The grades three through eight STAAR tests in reading and mathematics, by law, must be linked from grade to grade to performance expectations for the English III and Algebra II end-of-course assessments.

Wallis said state ratings for schools will be suspended in 2012, while a new accountability system is being developed.

The new rating system is expected to make its debut in 2013.

The STAAR also will be more broad-based, testing students in a wider range of subject areas.

“Now everybody’s accountable,” Wallis said. “It’s not just the four core subjects.”

In other business Monday, the board also:

• APPROVED Cody Tunstall and Teresa Myers as Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) appraisers for the 2009-10 school year.

• APPROVED substitute teacher pay rate ($60 daily for non-degreed persons; $70 for degreed, but non-certified; and $75 for certified).

• APPROVED adoption of capital projects budget.

• APPROVED adoption of 2010-11 local textbook recommendations.

• APPROVED resolution supporting “Celebrate Texas Public Schools 2010 March 8-12.”

• APPROVED Norlight Telecommunications for extension of Wide Area Network to Prep High School.

• APPROVED school trustee election order and notice for May 8, 2010 election.

• APPROVED joint election resolution between City of Palestine and Palestine Independent School District.

• APPROVED seeking pre-clearance from U.S. Department of Justice for May 8, 2010 election.

• APPROVED election judges and early voting personnel.

• HEARD various reports from superintendent.

---------

Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com

Text Only

Local News

2012 Elks make final stroll
Seventy-five members of Elkhart High School’s Class of 2012 were awarded diplomas Friday night before an overflow crowd at the Palestine Civic Center.

May 27, 2012 1 Photo
Local man arrested for alleged cocaine possession
May 27, 2012
Voters head to polls Tuesday
May 27, 2012
Lowe, Doran switch parties
May 27, 2012
Police department sponsoring summer Junior Academy
May 27, 2012
Salmon Lake Park hosting Bluegrass Gospel Festival this weekend
Salmon Lake Park in Grapeland will continue its tradition of bringing bluegrass gospel to East Texas during its 15th Annual Bluegrass Gospel Festival this weekend.

May 25, 2012
Early voting ends today
Early voting ends today throughout the state in next week’s party primary elections.
In Anderson County, early voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. today at the Anderson County Courthouse Annex.
Polls will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday’s Election Day as Anderson County residents will cast their ballots at various locations throughout the county.

May 25, 2012
Warrant leads to three arrests
Anderson County authorities served a narcotics search warrant at a Palestine residence Thursday morning, resulting in the arrests of three persons, including one on a felony charge.
Timothy Laban Owens, 36, of Palestine was arrested and charged with manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance 4-to-200 grams during the execution of the search warrant at a residence at 601 Hamlett St. inside the Palestine city limits, according to Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor.

May 25, 2012
Burglary suspect sought
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help in locating an Elkhart man wanted in connection with a residential burglary allegedly committed earlier this month.
Bruce Smith, 19, of Elkhart is wanted on the felony charge of burglary of a habitation, stemming from a May 10 burglary at a residence on Watkins Street inside the Elkhart city limits, according to Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor.

May 24, 2012
Constable arrests wanted suspected
A 22-year-old Tyler woman wanted for allegedly using a Ford Explorer to intentionally strike three people was arrested Wednesday morning by Anderson County Precinct 3 Constable Kim Dickson.
Brittany Michelle Barrett, 22, of Tyler was wanted on three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly using her vehicle to strike three persons outside a Tyler nightclub during the wee morning hours of May 14.

May 24, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Discussion

New test to replace TAKS

Site Map

Contact Us