Next week is TAKS testing time. I have two who will undergo it and am in favor of the testing, as it can give parents a good idea of where their children stand, what they know and where they need to improve.
HISD is implementing stricter testing safeguards this year, including not allowing most teachers to administer the test to their own students:
Test booklets will be kept under tighter watch, answer sheets will be collected earlier in the day, and most teachers won’t administer the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills to their own students under new test security measures announced Wednesday by HISD leaders.
With TAKS testing starting Tuesday for roughly 125,000 Houston Independent School District children and 2.8 million statewide, HISD officials are hoping to curb some of the cheating problems that have plagued the district in the past.
“This year, we’ll do much more. Our integrity must be absolutely beyond question,” Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said. “We’re taking this issue of test security very, very seriously.”
The testing is all the more important this year because of a new teacher merit-pay system that promises bonuses of $3,000 or more for teachers whose students perform well on the TAKS and other tests. Principals have bonuses of up to $6,000 riding on test scores that are also used to determine each campus’ state and federal accountability ratings.
RELATED: HISD Tightens TAKS Test Security (HISD)
