College teachers should probably take note of some significant changes in the way public schools will measure academic achievement. While there is no way to tell how the new system will affect college readiness over the next several years, it's still noteworthy that controversies about "teaching to the test" will take on a whole new meaning.
Reportedly there is much confusion in school districts as deadlines approach.
Beginning in spring 2012, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) will replace the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The STAAR program at grades 3–8 will assess the same subjects and grades that are currently assessed on TAKS. At high school, however, grade-specific assessments will be replaced with 12 end-of-course (EOC) assessments: Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, English II, English III, world geography, world history, and U.S. history.
According to the TEA Web site:
The purpose of the end-of-course (EOC) assessments is to measure students’ academic performance in core high school courses and to become part of the graduation requirements beginning with the freshman class of 2011–2012. The EOC assessments for lower-level courses must include questions to determine readiness for advanced coursework. The assessments for higher-level courses must include a series of special purpose questions to measure college readiness and the need for developmental coursework in higher education. In addition, a student’s score on each EOC assessment will be worth 15% of the student’s final grade for that course.
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