long-hallway.jpgOn Thursday, May 15th, the Texas senate passed Bill 1031, which may very well put an end to what has become an exercise in fear and stress for tens of thousands of students across the state — the TAKS test as we know it. While in theory, the TAKS, spawned by The No Child Left Behind Act, was a brilliant concept, in practice, well….let’s just say it didn’t quite meet benchmarks.

The pressure exerted on students and even the most seasoned teachers is incredible. If students don’t pass it, they don’t graduate. For teachers, if not enough students pass it at any given grade level, they could lose their jobs. While no one could argue that there must be accountability in education, this test does not actually meet the first benchmark of a valid test — to measure what you know. The TAKS test tends to measure what you forgot, and for some, what they never knew. Imagine taking one test that covers every math class you took in high school: algebra I, geometry and algebra II. Maybe not such a daunting proposition for the mathematically oriented. But for a right-brained writer like me, who barely passed geometry, and that only because of the sympathies of my teacher, I can’t even begin to imagine how I would survive such a test. And, of course, the test doesn’t stop there. How about being tested at one time on every history/social studies class or science class that the state requires? And don’t forget the reading and writing portion that puts all students on a level playing field, regardless of language background. Yet that is exactly the kind of pressure on our Texas high school juniors and seniors if they want to walk with their graduating class in May.

Granted, if a student doesn’t pass the test on the first try as a junior, there are subsequent opportunities for retesting. About five tries in all. But the number of students unable to pass all four parts of this high-stakes test continues to be deplorable, despite the best efforts of excellent classroom teachers all across the state. According to a Dallas Morning News article, in 2007, over 40,000 high school seniors who had finished and passed all their state required course work were denied the privilege of being called a graduate. Jennifer Radcliffe of the Houston Chronicle reported on May 3, 2008 that again, as of this March, over 40,000 students still had not passed all four portions of the test.

After graduation, students have one more chance, but those who still can’t pass the exam are officially labeled as dropouts. A student who has attended 90% or more of their classes (another blog topic for another time!) and has passed 12 years’ worth of coursework becomes a dropout. We all know the ramifications of this — fewer job opportunities and lower pay. No chance for a college education where a skill could be learned. If we don’t want a welfare state, let’s not create one. The Texas legislature should be ashamed.

Of course, if you have never taught school, you may think that a kid would have to be very low on the IQ totem not to pass the test, what with so many tries and tutoring available. The truth is many students have extreme test anxiety, and the more intense the pressure, the worse they perform. Or how about the fact that Texas is officially a minority state now, with more than 50-percent of our population being Hispanic. This test does not make allowances for language discrepancies, and about one in four minority students fail it.

As a result, Texas education is geared increasingly toward passing the test. If it’s not on the test, it isn’t taught in the classroom. Forget learning more complex applications, looking for related concepts and exploring deeper thoughts. Stick to the test. Take a practice test each week. Go to tutorials if you don’t test well, sit around doing nothing during the daily thirty-minute tutorial time if you do test well.

Schools proudly display banners on the front of their buildings, proclaiming their TAKS test success, yet a 2005 Fort Worth Star Telegram article stated that 50-percent of Texas graduates, who have passed the TAKS test, need remedial algebra and/or remedial reading before they can enter college.

So, after wasting millions of Texas property-tax payers’ dollars and hurting the future prospects of thousands upon thousands of students, the legislature has decided to go back to the drawing board. This model is not working. Well….duh!

Senate Bill 1031 promises a valid test — an exit exam taken at the end of each state-required course. We can only hope the House will pass it. But for the thousands of Texas “dropouts” who completed 12 years of public education, and for the excellent teachers who lost — or quit due to the stress — their jobs because not enough of their students passed the TAKS, there seems to be only one thing left to say about the new test. Too little, too late.