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STAAR test to replace TAKS for student assessment
By Kim Nguyen, knguyen@acnpapers.com
The Texas Education Agency announced Tuesday the new standard in student assessment testing.
The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) will be replaced by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STARR) beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. The STAAR includes 12 end-of-course exams in the four core subject areas in high school.
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 diploma.
Under Senate Bill 1031 in 2007, the Texas Education Agency was required to develop new end-of-course tests, which are redeveloped every 10 years or so. The new third- through eighth-grade assessments were issued for redevelopment under House Bill 3 in the 2009 Legislative session, said DeEtta Culbertson, TEA spokeswoman.
The curriculum will not immediately affect students in local school districts, as the testing criteria have not been formulated.
“The state board of education is in the process of revamping and rewriting curriculum to be more rigorous, requiring students to know more and more in-depth and aligned with college readiness at all grades,” Culbertson said. “As they revamp the curriculum standards, teachers will be able form their curriculum for the students.”
Culbertson said the STAAR is different in that it will be significantly more rigorous than previous tests and will measure a child’s performance as well as academic growth.
“The teachers will be able to measure on a vertical alignment in which students will be linked with performance expectations from grade to grade. The system was built to see how students are progressing,” she said.
Additionally, the STAAR test will be more closely tied to college readiness standards and make students more ready for career and college with more end-of-course tests in more subjects.
The old test, the TAKS, will still be issued for the end-of-course exam for this and the next academic school years before it is phased out with STAAR curriculum – apparently good news for teachers across the state, Culbertson said.
“Texas has had some sort of state assessment since 1980, but for some reason the TAKS test seemed to get a lot of negative comments,” she said. “This will be a fresh start for some teachers.”
According to the TEA, the new accountability system is still being developed. State ratings will be suspended in 2012 and the new rating system will debut in 2013.
History of the Texas testing program
-Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS)– First state-mandated test, in use from 1980-1985, administered to students in grades 3, 5 and 9 in reading, mathematics and writing.
-Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) – In use from 1986-1990, tested reading, mathematics and writing in grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11; first state test students were required to pass to earn a diploma.
-Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) – In use from 1990-2002, tested reading, mathematics and writing, ultimately given to students in grades 3-8 and 10. Additionally science and social studies were tested at eighth grade, Spanish-language tests available for students in grades 3-6, and four end-of-course exams provide optional methods for meeting graduation requirements.
-Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) – In use from 2003 to present, assesses mathematics, reading, writing, English language arts, science and social studies. Students tested in grades 3-11; promotion tied to test results for students in grades 3, 5 and 8; graduation requirements expanded to include English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
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