Abolishing the TAKS Test

I couldn't believe it when I read this in the news. Is it possible there's actually a shred of common sense in the Texas legislature? As impossible as it seems, I was delighted to hear a state representative wonder aloud if the excessive focus on standardized testing in Texas was narrowing the curriculum and putting too much pressure on our students. My response: "Well, duh!" Talk to any teacher who remembers teaching before the TAKS. They will tell you just how much THE TEST has constricted their ability to modify their curriculum and make learning fun and relevant for their students. It's horribly ironic that as top universities deemphasize test scores and look for applicants who are passionate about their pursuits, our primary and secondary education systems are all about the test, and give students little time or opportunity to explore anything outside the basics that they might become passionate about.

I'll admit my faith in bureaucracy is as bad as the next person's. I don't trust that the Texas Education Agency will do anything right if they replace the TAKS with end-of-course exams. TEA's track record is abysmal. But after seeing what TAKS has done to our public schools over the last decade or so, even raising the issue of abolishing it is a breath of fresh air!


Legislation would be first step toward abolishing TAKS

By DENISE HOEPFNER
The Lufkin Daily News

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Could the days of TAKS testing be numbered?

That's the ultimate goal of legislation filed on Nov. 13 by state Rep. Dora Olivo (D-Missouri City) and joint author state Rep. Richard Raymond (D-Laredo).

The legislation — known as House Bills 136 and 137 — is one issue that will be discussed when the 80th Legislature convenes on Jan. 9, 2007.

Olivo, who will present the legislation for a third time, says the excessive focus on the TAKS "narrows the curriculum."

Raymond believes the TAKS test should be abolished, and this could be the first step toward that goal, he announced in a press release.

"We need to do away with the TAKS test, plain and simple," he said. "We tried it and it didn't work. TAKS is now hurting our educational system and our children more than it is helping."

According to the Texas Education Agency, the state would lose approximately $2 billion to $4 billion in federal funding if the test was not administered at all because of its inclusion in the No Child Left Behind Act. Raymond plans to work with federal officials to remove the strings attached to federal funds.

If passed, HB 136 would allow students who failed the third-, fifth- or eighth-grade TAKS test, to meet with a grade placement committee established by the school district. The committee would be composed of the student's principal or designee, the student's teacher and a school counselor. Using standards set by the board of trustees, the committee could promote a student if it concludes that the student is likely to perform at grade-level with accelerated instruction. Standards set by the board could include satisfactory grades, work samples, diagnostic testing and extenuating circumstances that may have affected the student's performance.

Additionally, a student may not be held back unless the decision of the committee is unanimous. This basically flip-flops the current rule that requires a unanimous committee decision to promote a student who has failed all three TAKS attempts.

HB 137 would allow high school seniors who failed the 11th grade TAKS to graduate if they meet similar alternative criteria including grade point average, class ranking, other test scores and the consideration of extenuating circumstances.

Some legislators are expressing support for end-of-course exams, rather than relying on a single test.

"End-of-course exams assess what has been taught in a single year, as opposed to the cumulative knowledge of TAKS testing," said Senate Education Chair Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), in her October district newsletter.

"Multiple end-of-course exams would also take the pressure off students and educators to pass a single test, by spreading the assessments out over multiple subjects in all four years of high school."

State Rep. Jim McReynolds (D-Lufkin) agrees that other measurable criteria should be allowed.

"We are putting too much pressure on kids over one test," he said.

McReynolds says that some measure of testing is needed and is a good thing.

"But can we get too much of a good thing? Yes."

Guys Read/Girls Read

Recently I've noticed a lot of dicussion about girl readers versus boy readers, and whether or not some books are inherently "girl books" or "boy books." Jon Scieszka's Guys Read initiative, for instance, spotlights the need to connect boys with books they will love and relate to, so they don't grow up to be nonreaders. While I know this is hardly a new topic of conversation, I've become more aware of it as I've been promoting the Percy Jackson series. Often my series is touted as a good series for boys, especially reluctant readers, and while I'm delighted that the books appeal to boys, I'm always happy when some librarian speaks up and says, "Hey, they're for girls, too!"

Last week I got an email from the librarian at Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls in the West Midlands, UK. She wrote to let me know that The Lightning Thief had won the school's 'book of the year' award. She said this must be a small thing compared to the other awards the book has won, but to me it was a very big deal. Hearing from individual schools, especially an all-girls school, means a lot to me. It tells me that the books are working for girls as well as boys.

One of my first interviews for The Lightning Thief was with a teen reporter from Newsday. She asked if I meant the book to be for girls or boys. It was a simple question, but one I hadn't considered. True, I first told the story to my son, so in a way it was all for him, but when I wrote it out I pictured my own middle school classes as my audience, and my classes have always been co-ed.

Now, eighteen months since the series debuted, I'm happy to report that my mail from fans is equally divided -- about half from boys, half from girls. The books appear on the reading lists for girls' schools about as often as they appear on lists for boys' schools. So guys, thanks for reading! And girls, too!

Demigods of the Week

Thanks to Joseph from Patton Elementary in Austin, who sent me this awesome picture of Percy Jackson. And thanks to Paz-Lorraine of San Antonio who gave me the magical unicorn picture, along with some suggestions for the Percy Jackson series, at my recent Barnes & Noble signing.

Children's Book Week Signing

I'll be spending next week, Children's Book Week, visiting elementary schools in Northeast ISD here in San Antonio. On Thursday night, Nov. 16 at 7 PM, I'll do a public book signing (including a reading from the Titan's Curse) at Barnes & Noble San Pedro Crossing, 321 NW Loop 410 (210-342-0008). Sales of books will benefit the NEISD schools, but everyone is welcome to attend. Blue candy and Camp Half-Blood T-shirts will be given away. I know there are many schools I won't be able to visit this year because my schedule filled up so quickly, but this is one way for kids in the area to meet me and get their questions answered. Come on out and join the fun!

Patton Elementary

Last week I got to visit with the kids at Patton Elementary. Toni Davis and Topher Bradfield handled the book sales for us and it was great to hang out with them for the day. As you can see, they were the first ones to receive advance reading copies of The Titan's Curse. Hyperion has printed a tiny number of them (on purpose, as they want to build demand for the book when it's released) but don't ask me how to get one. My own few copies (except for my reading copy) are already gone!

National Novel Writing Month

I'd never heard of this before, but what a fun idea! Get cracking, guys. You have one month to produce your first draft. Read the full article here.


Get Ready to Write,

By David Price
Wed, November 1, 2006, 12:01 am PST

If you're dying to write the next great novel, then this is the month for you. November happens to be National Novel Writing Month, a fast and furious sprint to pump out a 175-page book -- that's 50,000 words. NaNoWriMo began in San Francisco in 1999 by Chris Baty and 21 friends. By last year, nearly 60,000 scribblers worldwide signed on, with almost 10,000 completing their novels. This project is about output over quality. These proto-novelists whip out horror tales, chick lit, and fantasy yarns with equal gusto. And with hordes of fellow writers taking up the challenge, you don't have to be in a room alone. Part of the attraction of NaNoWriMo is the community it builds around the event. Whether in online forums, over the airwaves, or in cafés, writers depend on one another for advice and support. If you fancy yourself a wordsmith, then turn off the Internet, ditch the grocery list, and stow the vacuum. You have to write 1,667 words (about six pages) a day to keep pace. You'd better get started.

Suggested Sites...
• National Novel Writing Month - sign up and get cranking.
• Plot-o-Matic - get a jump start on that plot.
• Chris Baty Interview - a chat with the instigator of this wild month of writing.
• It Was a Dark and Stormy Month... - blow-by-blow look at what it takes to write a novel in a month.
• NaNoWriMo on NPR - 2002 interview with Baty on exposing your inner novelist.

Visit to O Henry

Last Friday I got to visit O Henry Middle School in Austin. Thanks to librarian Sara Stevenson for hosting me and sending a photo CD of the event. If you'd like to get an inside look at one of my school visits, you can check out the photos here.