Just in case you have not heard, the much talked about TAKS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) test is soon to be thrown by the wayside. For grades 3-8 this is the last year students in Texas will sit down at their desks for the administration of TAKS. What’s more, next year ninth graders will begin taking a different type of test altogether: End of course exams will be given to high school students.
Now, don’t worry – the End of Course exams make sense in high school. Just last year I was speaking to a parent whose child was taking Geometry. However, she said her child was upset because the test had a lot of algebra on it, but he had not had any algebra in a year. Why, the mom wondered, don’t they test them over the courses they are actually taking? Well, here it is! It begins with next year’s freshmen class. My oldest son, who is a sophomore, however, was disappointed to hear that he is stuck with TAKS. I explained that the state did not want to try changing mid-stream. He just shrugged and said, “Oh, well.” I had to laugh – wish that I could be so laid back about it all!
And what about the STAAR? Well, as I said, this is not a typo. STAAR stands for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. Whew! It’s a mouthful! This is still the general subject tests similar to the TAKS. It will be administered to grades 3-8. Has anything changed besides the name? Yep.
A couple of weeks ago I had the great opportunity to spend a couple of days in Austin with a group of teachers, representatives from TEA (Texas Education Agency), and the organizations responsible for the creation and scoring of the sixth grade reading tests. Among all the things I learned, one of the most valuable is in learning how they come up with these tests. I had always jokingly referred to a group of people sitting around, chuckling evilly, as they tried to find new ways of tricking people. I was partly correct.
The creation of the state assessments is actually a very long, drawn out process. The test passages and questions go through many committees before they even make it to the test bank. There were a group of us in a room – mostly teachers – and we carefully scrutinized every story and every question. One… by… one. Any time we felt a question was confusing, or the passage no good, we stopped and discussed. If we could fix it we did. If we could not fix it, it was scrapped for further review at a later date. I was impressed with the methodical way each item was read, examined, and either approved or not approved. What’s more, we sixth grade reading teachers were listened to and respected as individuals who know a little something about sixth graders and reading. Imagine my surprise to learn that these passages had already been through several committees and revisions before reaching this point. What’s more, they will meet again next year to make the final determination regarding these particular items and whether or not they are good enough to go into the state test bank for use in the administration of future STAAR tests.
I now have a much greater understanding of the whole process that goes into the creation of the state assessments. There are many, many hours and many, many people involved in making sure the tests are fair and correct. I am also happy to report they are not trying to trick anyone!
As for tips to help you with the new test….well, I am not able to say too much – confidentiality, and all that. I can tell you that it will look a little different and will be more challenging. Do I believe our kids will be ok with the new test? You bet! Will it be tougher? Absolutely! But, I think, in a good way. The new test will show us how our kids can use their critical thinking skills more than the old TAKS did. There will be different types of stories in the new test that should be more interesting for the kids to read. If you want to help your kids prepare for the new reading test (remember, the new test does not begin this school year!!!) you can simply encourage them to read all types of books: drama, fiction, nonfiction, poetry. Ask them about what they have read, and compare what they have read, and tell you what the themes and main ideas are. Talk about the characters, figure out unknown words, and evaluate what was read.
For this year, however, we still have to get through the TAKS test. All those things that will help with the STAAR will help with TAKS, too – so go ahead and get your kids to reading! Listen to them, read with them, and talk to them. Testing does not have to be painful…and I know they can all do well!
As for me, I will go on teaching my students to the best of my ability. We will soon enough reach the end of this year and all the changes that will bring. Already I am making plans for Katanya, Babs, and my new guest visitor, Granny Greenlegs (thanks to my GREAT aunt!) to visit the classroom for various units and stories. It promises to be an exciting time, and I can rest easier now that I realize the new STAAR test will not be covering anything teachers aren’t already teaching.
Now…let me get Granny’s bonnet….
Christine Moore currently holds a degree from Howard Payne University and recently earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. She is now working on her Ph.D. in Educational Technology. Married with four children who attend Brownwood schools, Christine teaches 6th grade reading in Brownwood and has been working in education at various levels for the past 15 years. Christine welcomes your questions and comments and would love to hear from you!
