Senate OKs replacing TAKS with end-of-course exams in high school

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/07/legislature/4732966.html

Senate OKs replacing TAKS with end-of-course exams in high school
April 20, 2007, 12:45PM
Houston Chronicle

By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON
Associated Press

AUSTIN — The state's high-stakes standardized exit exam would be history for high schoolers under a bill the Texas Senate unanimously approved Thursday.
The legislation would replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills with exams in four core subjects for students in grades 9 to 11. Younger students would still have to take the standardized exam.
The high-stakes nature of the TAKS has been lambasted by teachers and parents, who argue that too much classroom time is spent on preparing students for the test. Students take the exit-level test as juniors and must pass to graduate.
The proposal would be phased in over several years, starting with students who are in ninth grade in 2009-10. It now goes to the House, where the public education committee approved a similar bill on Tuesday.
"For a long time, we've all heard the public outcry, we've all heard the frustration," said Sen. Florence Shapiro, a Plano Republican who sponsored the bill. "End of course assessments will go a long way toward addressing many of these concerns."
The end-of-course exams would be given in English language arts, math, science and social studies. Each test would be worth 100 points and students would have to earn 840 points — or 70 percent of a possible 1,200 points — to graduate. That means a student who struggles with one subject could make up points by excelling in another.
Each test grade would also count as 15 percent of the student's course grade. Students who perform well on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and SAT subject tests could have those scores counted toward the end of course exam requirement.
Teachers' groups gave the bill a cautious thumbs up, saying it is a step in the right direction but does not really change the state's accountability system.
"There is still much that has to be done to ensure that these new exams don't become the monster that TAKS did," said Cindy Chapman, a high school math teacher from the Panhandle who is state president of the Association of Texas Professional Educators.
A handful of states, including New York, Tennessee, North Carolina and Maryland, already use end-of-course exams in place of high-stakes tests. End exams can be used to fulfill the No Child Left Behind requirement for testing if they are standardized.
In addition to eliminating the exit exam, the legislation would direct school districts to administer the PSAT to eighth and 10th graders every year at state expense. Juniors and seniors also would be able to take the SAT or ACT once at state expense.