A headline from today's Houston Chronicle.

Arson Hits Needville high School; TAKS Tests Destroyed

Excuse me? The first concern is the destruction of the testing material from last week? What about the impact on hundreds of students and the community as a whole.

Oh, maybe this explains the focus of the headline.

[School Board President Jim] Kocian said TAKS tests were in the building, but he did not think the destruction of the tests was the reason behind the fire. "Even if the TAKS tests are destroyed, they have to retake them. So they don't accomplish anything by that," he said.

Yeah, neve mind those science labs and administrative offices -- the kids need to retake those tests so that they can be "assessed". Never mind that there might be things that need a little bit of a higher priority right now.

Then again, is there a glimmer of hope for common sense here?.

No decision has been made about the TAKS tests taken last week by high school students. The answer sheets were still in the office, waiting to be sent Monday to TEA offices in Austin for scoring. Passage of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge Skills test is required for graduation.

Texas Education Commissioner Shirley J. Neeley, who was traveling Monday, will talk with Rhodes by telephone and probably decide today what to do about the TAKS test, said agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson.

Culbertson said experts at the state agency don't recall a whole district's test papers being lost in a fire before. "We have had boxes of tests come up missing, and there was one time when a box fell off an airplane," she said.

Here's hoping that Neeley exercises a little prudence and common sense and simply waives the requirement this year -- if she is able to do so under state law.

Because state testing should be the lowest priority for Needville ISD right about now.

Posted by: Greg at 10:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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