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Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment (TAMSA)
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Word is Spreading Across the State
Abilene; Abilene Wylie; Aldine; Alief; Alvarado; Alvin; Alamo Heights; Allen; Amarillo;Angleton; Arlington; Austin; Bangs; Bastrop; Beaumont; Belton; Big Sandy; Borden
County; Borger; Brownwood; Brazosport; Breckenridge; Brenham; Brewster; Broaddus; Bullard; Burnet Consolidated; Bushland; Carrollton‐Farmers Branch; Canton; Cass
County; Central; Central Heights; Clear Creek; Clint; Clyde; College Station; Columbia‐Brazoria; Conroe; Coppell; Corpus Christi; Corrigan‐Camden; Cuero; Cy‐Fair; Dallas;
Decatur; Deer Park; Denton; Dickinson; Dripping Springs; Duncanville; Eagle Mountain‐Saignaw; Eanes; East Bernard; Ector County; El Paso; Elgin; Elysian Fields; Friendswood; Fort Bend; Ft. Worth; Frisco; Garland; Gatesville; Georgetown; Goose Creek; Grandview; Granger; Guthrie Common; Hays; HEB; Hereford; Highland Park; Hillsboro; Hitchcock; Hondo; Houston; Hudson; Hughes Springs; Humble; Industrial; Irving; Katy; Keller; Kerrville; Klein; LaGrange; Lake Travis; Lamar Consolidated; Lampasas; La Porte; Leander; Lewisville; Lexington; Liberty; Lindale; Llano; Lubbock; Lufkin; Lytle; Madisonville; Magnolia; Manor; Mansfield; Marble Falls; Marfa; McKinney;
McMullen; Medina Valley; Needville; North East; North Lamar; Northside; Northwest; Pasadena; Pearland; Perrin‐Whitt; Pflugerville; Poteet; Poynor; Richardson; Round
Rock; San Angelo; San Antonio; Santa Fe; Schertz‐Cibolo‐Universal City; Sierra Blanca; Silsbee; Southlake; Southlake Carroll; Spring; Spring Branch; Stafford; Sweeny; Taylor;
Texarkana; Texas City; Texas; Thrall; Tomball; Travis; Tyler; Vernon; Wharton; Whitehouse; Wink‐Loving; Winona; Wylie; Ysleta
*Districts represented by parents signing up on the TAMSA website as of 1/8/13
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Our Concern
TAMSA parents strongly support accountability as we have high
expectations for our children and their schools. However, we are appalled by what we see the new testing system doing to the
classroom and to our students.
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After decades of non‐stop testing, Parents, Employers, & Tax‐Payers are asking…
1) How much money has this cost us?2) Are our students more College and Career
Ready?3) Are our students being more successful at
completing college or obtaining technical certificates?
Return on Investment?
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Texas Tax Dollars Paid to Pearson
2000 – 2001 2001 – 2002 2002 – 2003 2003 – 2004 2004 – 2005$39,122,054 $50,208,435 $47,451,455 $58,692,430 $62,641,857 2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008 2008 – 2009 2009 – 2010$87,427,757 $100,214,658 $87,260,970 $92,103,116 $85,208,340 2010 – 2011 2011 – 2012 2012 – 2013 2013 – 2014 2014 – 2015$90,665,041 $89,058,910 $93,369,544 $96,532,517 $98,766,605
TOTAL 2000 – 2015$1,178,723,689
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Other Needs for Testing Money
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Quality Control Issues
Serious issues exist with Pearson on graduation‐required tests, including:• Computer glitches – Texas, Dec. 3, 2012• Inaccurate grading – Mississippi, Oct. 23, 2012• Nonsensical questions – New York, April 19,
2012 (also given previously in other cities, including Houston)
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Texas TAKS % Passing: Sum of All Grades Testing 2003 ‐ 2011
404550556065707580859095
100
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009* 2010* 2011*
Mathematics Reading Writing Science Social Studies
*2009 – 2011 include TAKS-Acc
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Texas Mean SAT Scores 2003‐2010(M
axim
um Score 160
0)
700
750
800
850
900
950
1000
1050
1100
1150
1200
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
African Am. Hispanic White Asian
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Success in Higher Education Overall
*Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) report “A New Measure of Educational Success in Texas: Tracking the Success of 8th Graders Into and Through College” Feb. 2012
College Persistence
21.9%
29.3%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
% Completion of 2 yr. Degrees, 4 yr. Degrees or College‐Level Certificates
TexasNation
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College Persistence
Success in Higher Education by Ethnicity
*Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) report “A New Measure of Educational Success in Texas: Tracking the Success of 8th Graders Into and Through College” Feb. 2012
14.1%
41.3%
11.4% 11.6%
27.6%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
% Completion of 2 yr. Degrees, 4 yr. Degrees or College‐Level Certificates
Native AmericanAsianBlackHispanicWhite
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Effect on the Dropout Rate
Date % FAILED Date % FAILED
Spring 2012 32% Spring 2012 45%
Summer 2012 Retest
62%Summer 2012
Retest76%
2012 Statewide English I EOC ResultsEnglish I Reading English I Writing
These TX students are starting 10th grade already behind. There is little chance that they can catch up and keep up.
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What We’re Advocating For:
1.Use the Appropriate Test to Achieve the Desired Result
2. Remove Standardized Test Scores from Grades and GPAs
3. Remove Algebra II & English III Performance Level Requirements
4. Change Cumulative Score Requirements5. Require No More Than 3 EOCs for Graduation
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Advocacy #1 – Appropriate Test
• Desired Result : College and Career Ready students, nationally competitive
• Appropriate Tests:
Gr. 3 – 7 Gr. 8 Gr. 10 Gr. 11Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
EXPLORE PLAN PSATACT
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Advocacy #2 – Limit EOCs
IF End‐of‐Course (EOC) exams are required to be passed for graduation, limit them to 2 ‐ 3
• The number of tests required to pass to graduate in Texas far outnumber any other state
Number of States 25 0 7 10 2 4 1 TEXAS
Number of Tests Required to Pass for
Graduation0 1 2 3 4 5 6 ‐ 9 11 ‐ 15*
*Depending on Graduation Plan1 Data from Center of Education Policy: “State High School Exit Exams: A Policy in Transition” 9/12
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Advocacy #3 – Eliminate 15%
Remove Standardized Test Scores from GPAs
• Students have ample incentive to do well on tests when they are required for graduation
• Grades are a matter of local control• Teachers need to be allowed to teach and evaluate students
UPDATE: as of 11/30/12, deferred for the 2012‐13 school year and legislators have signaled their intent to permanently eliminate
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Advocacy #4 – Remove College Barriers
Remove Algebra II & English III Performance Level Requirements
• These are arbitrary barriers and impediments for admission to a 4‐year Texas college or university for many qualified and eager students with a diversity of talents
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Advocacy #5 – Eliminate Cumulative Score
Change Cumulative Score Requirements
• If we retain the cumulative score requirement, change it from mandatory to optional, if it will help a student
(CS ≥ (n x SP)) = Huh???
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What We’ve Done So Far
• Met with legislators across the state• Met with parent and community groups• Met with teacher groups• Met with business groups• Written Op‐Eds and Counter Op‐Eds• Participated in TV and newspaper interviews• Spoken on panels• Worked with education and testing experts at UT Austin• Testified in hearings before the House, Senate and State Board Of Ed.• Filed comments on the NCLB waiver• Petitioned for a rulemaking at TEA to allow substitution of AP/IB/SAT
Subject exams for EOC’s• Filed a letter (with follow‐up) to TEA on STAAR implementation
questions, including asking for the writing grading rubric
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Contact Us
Sign up for updates at www.tamsatx.org
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter www.facebook.com/tamsatxwww.twitter.com/tamsatx
Dineen Majcher [email protected]
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