TYLER (CBS) - Lowering state testing standards to help out cash-strapped school districts? That's exactly what some Texas lawmakers want to do.
Members of the House Education Committee said it will help ease school districts' budget woes. CBS 19's Field Sutton reports.
The idea seems to be that if the state starts considering lower scores acceptable, and worth funding, school districts will be better off financially. But school districts are also working to move from the old 'TAKS' exam to the new 'STAR' testing program, and it's causing a lot of confusion.
"What areas do we need funding? How will state funding impact how we implement this new testing procedure?" said Angela Jenkins with Tyler ISD. Those are just a few of the questions East Texas school districts have to answer before retiring the old 'TAKS' exam for the class of
Jenkins said it's way too early to worry locally about the way the state looks at scores. But in Austin, the House Education Committee approved a bill that would allow high school students to fail 8 of the 12 individual 'STAR' exams and still graduate.
"There is no simple solution," said Bill Martin with Tyler's Sylvan Learning Center. He said it's the latest sign that standardized testing is a broken system. "When it comes to doing college level work for instance, they can't do it."
Nationwide two out of three college freshmen has to take remedial courses in basic academics just to catch up.
"We're raising a generation of test takers," Martin added. "Not necessarily a generation of kids who are mastering academic skills."
Martin said it's because no matter what, teachers are forced to teach to the test, a lowest common denominator approach when higher expectations would get better results.
Jenkins said that's one area where 'STAR' exams will bring improvement. "It's more of an end of course testing procedure. So if you're in algebra right now, you'll be tested on algebra."
The bill also takes away the requirement for star test scores to count toward a student's grade in any given class. Members of the House Committee said that, too will help districts financially.
Now it has to go up for a vote in the full house. No word on when that's happening.
