Re: TEXANS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT (IN EDUCATION)

[Art Burke <aburke@VANSD.ORG>]

I guess I'm wondering how TQA can be for more testing and less testing at the same time?

Art

>>> kceh@AIRMAIL.NET 12/06/02 12:33PM >>>
Please consider coming to the rally. And then decide you will be there. 
And then show up.
Carol H.
=======
TEXANS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT

LESS TESTING             MORE LEARNING
 
http://www.texastesting.org 
 

We support efforts to allow multiple criteria assessment for students in 
Texas schools rather than the
current system that uses only one high-stakes testing
instrument. Opposition to the current system is strong
and is growing daily.  You can join us and let policy
makers know that we are not opposed to evaluation and
being held to high standards. We are opposed to the
use of only one instrument for evaluation.

TQA Position Statement
http://www.texastesting.org/TQABrief.htm 


YOUR VOICE IS POWERFUL!   JOIN THE EFFORT!   HERE?S
HOW!

COME TO THE AUSTIN RALLY -- JANUARY 25, 2003 ON THE
CAPITOL STEPS (SOUTH SIDE) 2:30 P.M.

Bring your family, bring your signs (LESS TESTING,
MORE LEARNING, etc), let's meet together and let the
policy makers know that Texas needs a better
assessment system.

1. Support Legislation (The bills listed below were
introduced last session. Rep. Olivo's office is
updating them now. Stay tuned for the new bills)

HB2118 calls for the TAAS exit test to be used as one
of several multiple compensatory criteria.

HB2570 calls for the use of multiple compensatory
criteria in the making of promotion/ retention
decisions in third grade.

Read more about legislative summary
http://www.texastesting.org/LegislativeSummary.htm 

These bills were introduced by Rep. Dora Olivo
(District 27, Fort Bend County) during the 2001
session. They passed the house but were stopped in
committee by the chair of the Senate Committee on
Education, Senator Teel Bivens (Amarillo-R). Rep.
Olivo will introduce new bills with the same goal in
2003.

Read more about latest research on the effects of high
stakes testing at http://www.alfiekohn.org 

 

2. Write a letter to your state representative.

The most powerful tool for legislative change is a
personal letter from a constituent to a legislator.
Copy this letter (or write a similar one), sign it,
and mail it to your State Congressman and State
Senator, and send a copy of it to Rep. Olivo.

One click to your Senator and Representative
addresses:
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm 

Honorable (Name of Representative or Senator)

Representative Dora Olivo introduced legislation last
session to allow for multiple measures in assessing
Texas students. HB2118 called for TAAS exit tests to
be used as one of several multiple compensatory
criteria and HB2570 called for multiple compensator
criteria in the making of promotion/retention
decisions in the third grade.

I understand it is her intent to introduce similar
legilsation in the 2003 legislative session. I support
this legislation and want Texas education to allow for
multiple measures in assessing students. I would like
to know if you can be counted on to support these two
bills?

Sincerely,

your name here

cc:  Rep. Dora Olivo

      P.O. Box 2130
      Missouri City, TX 77459
 

3. Write a letter to the editor of your local
newspaper expressing your views about the impact of
Texas testing systems.

4. Write an email telling your experience with
standardized testing.   We will make multiple copies
of these and present them to legislators and the
education committees. Also, when we are at the rally
on January 25 in Austin, many of us would like to wear
a sign around our neck saying, "I'm marching for
____." We'll add the name, picture, and a short
statement about some student who has been negatively
impacted by high-stakes testing in Texas. Send your
story via email to Deborah Diffily
[ddiffily@earthlink.net].  

LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES

Contact us at: texastesting@msn.com or a local
representative below:

Austin -- Deborah Kelt duckelt@yahoo.com; Jane
Saunders, ladydogchow@ev1.net, Becky Strassner McAdoo
meandu2@hotmail.com, Vanessa Garza
garza_vanessa@hotmail.com, Annette Martinez
annettrocks@ev1.net 

San Angelo/Bradey -- Betzy Day mbday@centex.net 

Denton -- Pye TeSelle teselle@juno.com 

Georgetown -- Dottie Hooker wdhook5@msn.com 

Alvin-Brazoria County -- Carol Holst kceh@airmail.net 

Amarillo area -- KayDonna Wolfcale
wolfcaleconst@arn.net 

Dallas/Ft. Worth -- Deborah Diffily
ddiffily@mail.smu.edu 

El Paso area -- Cesar Rossatto crossatto@msn.com 

Houston -- Eileen Weinstein Lilefty@aol.com 

New Braunfels -- Becky Stich, becky_stich@hotmail.com 

    

List of organizations and people supporting the
movement http://www.texastesting.org/tqasupport.htm 

Bibliography of testing resources
http://www.texastesting.org/bibliotqa.htm 



DID YOU KNOW??

Teachers in Boulder, Colorado, fasted one day in March
to call attention to the negative impact their state
testing program has on students. The money they saved
for lunches was given to a project to implement
quality assessments.  
 
Massachusetts organizations are calling for a boycott
of their high stakes testing system called ?MASS
refusal?.   http://www.massrefusal.org 

A group of Texas parents has formed to protest Texas
testing systems. Their previous website, Taasblu, has
been incorparated into this site.

MALDEF found the testing system so unfair they sued
the state of Texas in 1999. The suit was unsuccessful.
http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n41/ 

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