Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced today that is he deferring implementation of the new 15 percent grading requirement connected to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness end-of-course examinations. The 15 percent rule requires that State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam performance count for 15 percent of a student’s final grade.
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In 2010, the district opened the first of two HISD Employee Health & Wellness Centers, one at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center and another at Attucks Middle School.
The Houston Independent School District has been named one of the top 25 healthiest employers in Houston, as rated by the Houston Business Journal. Rankings of the top 25 businesses will be announced at the first annual Houston’s Healthiest Employers Symposium on March 1.
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6. Reporting and Analysis
School Improvement Officer Anastasia Lindo speaks to parents about the STAAR test.
HISD parents attended an information session Thursday night, hearing directly from a panel of experts representing elementary, middle and high schools; curriculum; and special education. After viewing an overview presentation outlining the differences between TAKS and STAAR and the new requirements high schoolers will face, the session opened up to questions.
Presenters Anastasia Lindo and Richard Barajas, both school improvement officers, emphasized the importance of preparing for the new, more rigorous accountability test.
“STAAR does count,” Lindo said. HISD will receive a raw score this year, and some students may be required to take summer school as a result of their performance.
Members of the audience asked questions about the new discussion around delaying the 15 percent requirement – which would affect this year’s ninth-graders. Barajas acknowledged there is growing support around an effort to postpone that requirement until next school year.
Questions were also submitted via email and the STAAR Q&A blog.
Several parents asked about provisions for students in special education. Assistant Superintendent Sowmya Kumar spoke to those concerns, emphasizing that accommodations are made on an individual basis. Kumar also emphasized the importance of students working toward the recommended graduation plan.
“Students who take anything but regular STAAR are working toward a minimum high school diploma,” Kumar said. That can limit a student’s choices in the future.
Kumar encouraged parents to contact HISD staff members directly with any questions: “We’ll be happy to talk to you directly.”
Click here to watch coverage of HISD’s STAAR information session.
If you have questions about STAAR, please email them to STAAR@houstonisd.org.
The Chair of the House Committee on Public Education, Rep. Rob Eissler, has invited House members to co-sign the following letter formally requesting the commissioner to defer implementation of the 15% rule.
The letter says the suspension of ratings for districts during the first year – while students are held accountable – is “not fair or good policy.”
For the 2011-2012 school year, districts will not receive an accountability rating as we transition into the new system, but unfortunately our students are being held accountable for all provisions immediately. This is not fair or good policy.
Current law requires that an end-of-course assessment be counted as 15% of a students final grade in a course. We would like to formally request that you defer the 15% provision for the 2011-2012 school year. ……. We strongly believe this action is in the best interest of our ninth grade students.
Get the latest on STAAR – including new developments on when the “15 percent rule” will take effect
The STAAR test made headlines this week as state officials supported the delay of a controversial requirement surrounding end-of-course (EOC) exams. The rule, which requires that EOC exams count for 15 percent of a student’s final grade in a course, is to take effect this year for first-time ninth-graders.
In recent weeks, Texas lawmakers have voiced their support for delaying the 15 percent requirement until the 2012-2013 school year.
HISD and other Texas school districts are awaiting guidance from TEA regarding any potential changes to STAAR, including EOCs impacting final course grades. As testing dates approach, it’s important for parents to understand the latest changes and be familiar with the format of the test. Students will begin taking the STAAR test in late March.
All HISD parents are invited to attend an informational session this Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. STAAR experts will give an overview of the changes for elementary, middle and high school students. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions of the presenters as well as a panel of district officials representing multiple areas, including special education.
Johnston Middle School student Charli McBean is already actively looking at what colleges she wants to attend once she graduates. So when the College Board announced an HISD video contest celebrating the benefits of higher education, the teenager was quick to round up some of her fellow classmates and enter.
Click image to play Johnston's winning video.
“We all worked together as a group and we sat there and brainstormed and brainstormed until we finally came up with an idea,” McBean said. The end result is a music video that celebrates the “Five Ways Ed Pays” – better health, greater wealth, closer family, more security, and stronger community.
McBean and her Johnston teammates Zoe Caballero, Alicia Bozeman, and Anthony Okoro were recently honored for their creative efforts at the February HISD Board of Education meeting. Their winning video was shown to a packed crowd and all the students received new iPads from the College Board.
Also receiving iPads and iPods for their winning videos were two other student teams from Johnston and a team from Furr High School.
First place video produced by Johnston Middle School students Zoe Caballero, Alicia Bozeman, Charli McBean, and Anthony Okoro.
Second place video produced by Johnston Middle School students Josenique Gerard, Caroline Cweren, and Danielle Thompson.
Third place video produced by Furr High School students Alma Garcia, Jeffery Burgess, and Carlos Gerardo.
Fourth place video produced by Johnston Middle School students by Janet Asante, Tena Lewis, Payton Campbell, and Erin Parkin.
Learn more about some of the amazing things happening at HISD schools across the district, in addition to districtwide initiatives and accomplishments on HISD Up Close, a monthly show hosted by Board of Education President Michael Lunceford. HISD Up Close is available online and broadcast on the district’s cable television channel.
The February 2012 edition features a tour of Horn Elementary, a replacement school built as a result of the $805 bond referendum passed by voters in 2007. The show also features an interview with fellow board trustee Larry Marshall who shares some of the great things happening at schools in district IX, as well as interviews with Westside High School students who recently competed in the district’s annual PetroChallenge.
When and where to watch: Every Sunday and Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on the district’s cable television channel. To view online, click here.
The number of Houston ISD students earning college credit on Advanced Placement Exams and posting top scores on the SAT has never been higher, Superintendent Terry Grier announced today.
In the 2010-2011 school year, HISD high school students scored a 3 or better – the score most colleges require to grant course credit – on 6,657 college-level AP exams, a 35 percent increase from 2009. The number of AP Scholars – students who passed three or more AP exams before graduation – reached 1,070 last year, more than triple the number of AP Scholars in 2010.
At the same time, the number of HISD students scoring 500 or higher on each of the three subjects tested on the SAT college entrance exam is up significantly from the previous year – 18 percent in math, 13 percent in reading, and 10 percent in writing. The 500-point threshold is important because research shows that students who achieve this score are more likely to succeed in that subject in college.
Following are links to news stories about yesterday’s letter from four state senators regarding the requirement that STAAR end-of-course exams count for 15 percent of a student’s final course grade:
Shapiro says TEA can waive STAAR requirement (Texas Tribune)
Senators support deferral of end-of-course exams’ effect on final grades (Dallas Morning News)
Central Texas districts vary on handling of new end-of-course exams (Austin American-Statesman)
Shapiro back delay on STAAR grade provision (Austin American-Statesman)
Don’t like the effects of STAAR tests on education? Opt out (Austin American-Statesman)