Don’t get your hopes up too high, but the Lege may be about to do something that would be popular and sensible. They may be killing off the dreaded Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills!
Yes, the test, which swallows up student energy, teacher hours, and, by consensus, adds nothing to the real process of education, may become a thing of the past, if Senate Bill 1031 passes. Currently before the Senate Education Committee, it’s gaining momentum in the Lege.
Don’t get too excited – it’s not disappearing overnight. The freshman class of 2009 will be the first to take the new replacement assessments. They’ll take an end-of-course exam in four core areas – math, science, English and social studies – each year from ninth to 11th grade and have to get a minimum 70% in all 12 tests to graduate.
But that’s not the really fun change. Let’s look at Section 39.0303 of the bill: “(a) A person commits an offense (1) the person discloses the contents of any of a secure assessment instrument developed or administered this subchapter, including the answer to any item in the instrument.”
Yup, sneak a copy of the test, and it’s a class C misdemeanor, with a $500 fine. Whatever happened to afterschool detention?
This article appears in March 16 • 2007.
