Texans Tell It To The Feds
Post 62 of 100 of Brad’s Tiny World Scribefire Challenge.
We’re not stupid: Rethink school testing - El Paso Times
We’re not stupid: Rethink school testing
El Paso Times Staff
Article Launched: 10/16/2008 12:00:00 AM MDTWhat is it, already? By Texas standards, all schools in El Paso are academically acceptable. There was some hoo-hahing and yah-hooing celebrating that not too long ago.
A nice pat on the back to you, Mr. Superintendent.
Then Tuesday it was — whammo! The federal government reported 54 of our schools are not teaching our students adequately in math and reading, and sometimes graduation rates have been substandard.
Both Bowie and Austin high schools failed the federal government’s minimum standards for the sixth consecutive year. Yet the state says they’re OK. The feds say both must be reconstituted and must replace staff. Jefferson High has failed the past five years.
Why the difference in the state’s rating system and the federal government’s No Child Left Behind?
Why is it three El Paso high schools close to the border do not fare as well as El Paso schools more inland?
Does it have to do with the many students in El Paso public schools who do not speak English, thus do poorly on the TAKS test, thus bring down the whole school’s average?
Of course it is, at least in part. In El Paso, we have a lot of non-English-speaking students. In other parts of the county, virtually all students speak English. Are they smarter than our children, or is it they can understand the questions?
Or do we have poor teachers?
We don’t think so. We have teachers like anywhere else.
Perhaps we are not given the adequate tools in which to teach our children properly in the
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state of Texas? Just this week school administrators here said the state is not funding public schools at a proper level. Are we spending the money we do have in a wise manner?One explanation of the state-vs.-federal-acceptance guidelines is each uses different aspects of the TAKS test. What’s wrong with a level playing field?
Let’s determine what we are — pass or fail. And where’s the bar going to be set?
Then let’s figure out the best way to fairly grade El Paso students as compared with students in the rest of the country.
We do not have classrooms full of poor students and poor teachers in 54 of our schools.
