Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment (TAMSA) 1 Word - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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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

40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 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

(Maximum Score 1600)

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 Texas Nation

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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 American Asian Black Hispanic White

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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 Retest 76% 2012 Statewide English I EOC Results English 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 Requirements 5.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. 11

Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) EXPLORE PLAN PSAT ACT

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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

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7 10 2 4 1

TEXAS

Number of Tests Required to Pass for Graduation 1 2 3 4 5 6 ‐ 9 11 ‐ 15*

*Depending on Graduation Plan

1 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/tamsatx www.twitter.com/tamsatx Dineen Majcher dmajcher@reglaw.com