Bill introduced to kill TAKS test

by PegNews wire

Those tests have been nothing but trouble from Day One.

A bill was filed on Thursday to get rid of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) graduation test and replace it with end-of-course exams.

Filed jointly by Republican Rep. Rob Eissler, who leads the House Public Education Committee, and Republican Sen. Florence Shapiro, who leads the Senate Education Committee, the legislation would finally kill off the controversial TAKS test system which has been in use three years, plus two other TAKS tests administered in the ninth and 10th grades.

"We can all agree that the TAKS test has outlived its welcome," said Shapiro.

Instead of one big end-of-the-year test, 12 tests would be taken throughout high school: three each in English, math, science and social studies. Students would have to earn a 70 on each exam for a cumulative passing score of at least 840 points to get a diploma.

Last year, more than one in eight high school seniors, or 31,716 students, were not eligible to get a diploma at graduation because they didn't pass all four parts of the TAKS test after multiple tries.

Posted by T.G.

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