It looks like some high-power members of the Texas Legislature are listening to parents and teachers. They are proposing eliminating the dreaded TAKS test, replacing them with "end of course" tests instead.

Plano Sen. Florence Shapiro and Woodlands Rep. Rob Eissler are listening to parents as they prepare to file a bill today to expel the TAKS test from Texas schools.

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Shapiro says, "A teacher can focus on the breadth of subject matter and expose students to a richer curriculum." She adds that, "This is a much better identifier of our students' progress, and it will also stop these high-stakes evaluations and one-time tests."

All this World History teacher can say on this subject is "GREAT IDEA!"

Want to know why?

My tenth grade students take the Social Studies TAKS in a few weeks. Other than those about maps and graphs that refer to places and data outside of the USA, there is not one question that actually has to do with world history on the test that these kids will take. The content questions (as opposed to the skills questions mentioned above) will all be about American history to the Civil War -- which thy learned in eighth grade! Yeah, you read that right -- the test to show if my kids are learning and whether I am effective covers content from two years ago in an entirely different course.

What's worse is that the kids know this. When I start the massive review of US history after Spring Break, the kids will pay attention, because they know they need it. But they also know that the only time that they will be held responsible for my material is in a few questions on the exit level test in eleventh grade, so they don't necessarily have a stake in my subject matter. End of course exams would change that, and hold them (and me) much more accountable.

Here's hoping this little bit of sanity and logic makes it through the legislature and is signed by the governor.

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Posted by: Greg at 06:58 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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