Assessment A State Capitals Roundup

Texas House Seeking New High School Test

By Catherine Gewertz — May 22, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Texas House of Representatives approved a bill last week that would phase out the state’s standardized exam, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, known as TAKS, at the high school level. The measure is similar to a proposal approved April 19 by the state Senate. (“States Mull Best Way to Assess Their Students for Graduation,” May 16, 2007.)

Both versions would replace the TAKS with 12 end-of-course exams that would serve as part of the graduation requirement and part of a student’s grade.

There are differences, however. The amended House version proposes that the new tests account for 25 percent of a student’s grade, while the Senate version specifies 15 percent. The Senate plan would phase in the tests starting in 2009, two years earlier than in the House bill. The Senate bill would require students to average 70 percent across the 12 tests, but the House version does not specify a passing score.

Before a final version could be considered, differences would have to be worked out in a conference committee. The legislative session concludes the end of this month.

See Also

See other stories on education issues in Texas. See data on Texas’ public school system.

For more stories on this topic see Testing & Accountability.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the May 23, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Assessment Download 6 Ways to Curb Grade-Change Requests From Students and Parents (DOWNLOADABLE)
No one likes dealing with grade-change requests. Here are some tips to help teachers avoid them altogether.
1 min read
Close up of a schoolgirl showing her C- grade on a test at elementary school.
E+/Getty Images
Assessment Opinion Our Grading System Was Setting Students Up to Fail—Until This Change
Our first reaction to standards-based grading was despair. Then, slowly, things began to change.
Matthew Ebert
5 min read
A student climbs up stairs as letter grades fall around her. In the background a teacher is grading a test.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Assessment In Case You Missed It: How Schools Are Measuring Student Success
Explore stories about grading practices, what truly reflects student achievement, and more.
5 min read
Grading and assessment SR
Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Assessment Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Standardized Testing & Improving Student Outcomes?
Answer 7 questions about improving standardized testing and student outcomes.