When an exit exam becomes an exit ramp for too many Texans

This editorial by the Statesman is very encouraging. It appropriately critiques high-stakes testing for reasons that scholars and advocates have known all along. It goes beyond this, however, and supports State Representative Dora Olivo’s House Bills 1612 and 1613 that call for the use of multiple measures in assessment. For teachers and reformers, this equates to authentically assessing youth’s work in a more comprehensive manner. Besides being a more just and valid measure of students’ work, amplifying the criteria upon which youth are assessed logically translates into an expanding, rather narrowing, of curricula. The Statesman accurately notes that the Olivo bills additionally respond to teachers’ concerns over the excessive amount of time devoted to teaching tests and not children, fostering their critical capacities. So that she can continue spearheading this and other proposals that promise to benefit all Texas children, the representative needs our support:

Dora Olivo Campaign
P. O. Box 517
Richmond, Texas 77406-0517
281-342-0880
www.doraolivo.com

-Angela

EDITORIAL
When an exit exam becomes an exit ramp for too many Texans
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 / Austin Am-Statesman

For several years, state Rep. Dora Olivo, D-Missouri City, has been fighting to de-emphasize the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in promoting and graduating Texas students. Her bills to do that have met with fierce resistance from lawmakers who swear by high-stakes testing as a means of improving student performance. De-emphasizing the test, they argue, would weaken standards.

But a new study shows high-stakes testing programs in Texas and elsewhere might do as much harm as good. It might finally dispel those mistaken notions and give the bills the momentum they need.

When the Legislature meets in 2007, it should pass Olivo's measures, House Bills 1612 and 1613. The legislation would leave intact the best of Texas' testing system and fix what isn't working. The measures would permit schools to use multiple criteria, including grades, teacher evaluations and TAKS scores, to determine promotion and graduation. As it stands, seniors are denied diplomas if they don't pass the exit TAKS, regardless of their grades.

It's worth repeating that state skills exams are a good way to measure what students are learning and diagnose academic weaknesses. But Texas has used the test inappropriately to determine student promotion, retention and graduation. Because schools place so much emphasis on the TAKS, teachers long have complained that they are devoting too much time to teaching the test and not enough time helping students learn how to think critically.

The study, released earlier this month by the Education Policy Studies Laboratory, examined the effect of high-stakes testing in Texas and 24 other states. It found "no convincing evidence" that punitive measures aimed at pressuring schools and students to improve scores produced better student achievement than would otherwise have been expected. But it did find that high-stakes testing was having a negative effect on many minority students. The study found that states with greater numbers of minority students are using testing systems that exert greater pressure. Researchers think that increased testing pressure is related to larger numbers of students being held back or dropping out of school.

We've seen that happen in Texas public schools. This year, there were 21,198 seniors who did not pass the exit TAKS, so they didn't graduate. Those students completed other graduation requirements, but couldn't pass the skills exam.

Failure rates were highest among African Americans (15 percent didn't pass the exit TAKS) and Hispanics (14 percent). Five percent of white students flunked the exam.

For several years, we've been concerned about Texas' high-stakes testing program. This school year again, the exam will be used to determine whether third- and fifth-graders should be promoted and whether seniors should get their diplomas.

It is true that Texas' testing program has illuminated the gap in performance between white and minority students and between students from middle- and upper income families and those from low-income homes. That is good because it allows schools to focus their resources on the students who need it most. It also helps schools design more challenging curricula for higher performers who might otherwise be ignored.

It would be fine if the testing program stopped there. But Texas takes it a few steps too far. De-emphasizing the test would improve public schools.

Find this article at:
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/09/28testing_edit.html