Districts vote on STAAR impact

This year's 10th- through 12th-graders will continue testing under the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills or TAKS program through graduation, but classes in third- through ninth-grades this year will get their first look at the new tests in the coming weeks.

According to the TEA, the new STAAR testing is more rigorous and complex than the TAKS test, requiring students to write more essays, answer more open-ended questions in science and math, and focus on critical analysis in reading. STAAR also includes more tests, with 12 end-of-course exams testing high schoolers' competency in specific classes not previously included in standardized testing, such as history and grade-level science.

Those 12 tests, and the state's original intent that students' scores on them account for 15 percent of their final grade in the course, have caused a stir among school districts statewide. Educators cited a number of problems they see with the plan, and have expressed concern that it will take students time to adapt to the new testing methods and subjects.

"For some kids, it could impact whether or not they graduate and move on to the next grade, and so the state finally said, 'Let's make it a pilot for kids and for school districts as opposed to making the kids accountable for it,'" Carroll ISD Superintendent David Faltys said.

Karen Vance, director of assessment, research and evaluation at GCISD, said the school district has been preparing students for the transition, but has yet to see a final version from the state.

"Districts aren't allowed to view the assessment, so we will not have the opportunity to see the assessment before testing, during or after," she said. "The state has provided some resources in terms of some sample test items and provided resources in terms of blueprints to identify what types of materials will be tested."

Still, district leaders say there is always a time of transition when testing programs change, and records of a statewide drop in student scores the last time the testing program changed back them up. The TEA has already decided against using this year's scores to produce new accountability ratings for school districts. Instead, 2012 accountability scores, which rate districts' success based on their standardized testing scores, dropout rates and graduation rates, will duplicate those achieved in 2011.