News Brief
Texas Education Agency Proposing Changes to Assessment Program for 2013-2014 Year
KVEO News Center 23 (08/05/13)Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams says the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will propose certain policy changes for the assessment program in the 2013-14 school year. The changes are expected to help school districts implement new requirements in House Bill 5 and follow established federal requirements related to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). STAAR English I and II will measure reading and writing achievement through a single assessment in one day, and students must maintain a minimum and cumulative score to meet graduation requirements during the transition from multiple tests to a single test. TEA wants to maintain the phase-in 1 performance standards for the STAAR program for the 2013-14 school year. Williams says, "I believe Texas students are fully capable of reaching the high expectations reflected in the final recommended performance standards, but I also realize the development of strong instructional programs requires time and sustained effort. Extending the phase-in 1 standard through the 2013-2014 school year gives schools additional time to raise the level of student performance." The agency also proposed a substitute assessment to allow students to substitute certain comparable tests for corresponding STAAR end-of-course assessments for graduation purposes, and TEA will determine the cut scores that can be used to satisfy a student's testing requirement for graduation.
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