Texas Teachers Criticize Testing Fixation

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

FOCUS ON STANDARDIZED TESTS HARMFUL, TEXAS TEACHER UNIONS SAY

Dallas Morning News -- February 18, 2008
by Terrence Stutz

Austin -- Texas teacher groups Monday urged a special state committee to 
ease up on high-stakes testing that they said has forced schools to 
focus more on test preparation and school ratings than on learning.

All four of the state's teacher organizations asked the panel – made up 
of legislators and residents – to consider major changes in Texas' 
school accountability system.

The system annually rates campus and district performance based on test 
scores and graduation rates.

System gone astray?

"We have a system that has gone astray," said Eric Hartman of the Texas 
Federation of Teachers.

"A system that was originally created to identify problems has turned 
into something where the measurement tool is an end in itself.

"The time devoted to testing and test preparation is swallowing the time 
teachers spend dealing with students directly."

Richard Kouri of the Texas State Teachers Association said the school 
ratings and the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills now determine 
"how a child is viewed, how a school is viewed and even the salaries of 
teachers."

"Everybody is living and dying based on what these accountability 
ratings show," he said.

He noted that most teachers "don't have the option to just go into a 
classroom and teach" because their No. 1 concern has to be how students 
do on the TAKS and how their school is rated by the state.

Panel takes testimony

The testimony came before the Select Committee on Public School 
Accountability, which is considering changes in the rating system for 
schools and will make recommendations to the Legislature before its next 
regular session in 2009.

Leading the 15-member panel are the chairs of the Senate and House 
education committees – Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, and Rep. Rob 
Eissler, R-The Woodlands.

Both indicated that changes are coming to the accountability system, 
originally approved by the Legislature in 1993.

"It's time to look at our accountability system, evaluate it and decide 
what parts we want to keep, what we want to adjust and what we want to 
throw out," Ms. Shapiro said.

She said the system needs to be "recharged."

Responding to some of the criticism, Mr. Eissler said the state needs a 
system "with more carrot and less stick.

"The system should recognize and reward the best schools and repair the 
low-performing ones."

State ratings are anxiously awaited by superintendents, school boards, 
teachers and parents each year because they are the chief measure of how 
well schools are educating their students.

Parents and real estate agents typically use the evaluations to locate 
neighborhoods with the most desirable schools.

Last year, nearly 47 percent of campuses in North Texas and 51 percent 
of campuses statewide were rated "academically acceptable" – equivalent 
to a grade of C.

Other ratings are "exemplary," "recognized" and "academically 
unacceptable."

TAKS results are used not only in state ratings, but also annual federal 
ratings under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The dual system of ratings has caused public confusion, according to 
teacher leaders.

Brock Gregg of the Association of Texas Professional Educators said a 
recent survey of parents and teachers by his organization found that 
they share "a fairly negative view of our current testing system."

"They want to take away some of the punitive measures," he said, citing 
use of test results to hold back some students and deny diplomas to 
others, and to decide which teachers should receive bonuses.

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