Student assessment

Under the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) program, students in grades 3-11 are tested annually, and the exit-level exam is administered in 11th grade. Detailed information on TAKS is available online at the TEA website. 

Legislation passed in 2007 and 2009 provides for extensive changes to the state testing system, beginning with the 2011-12 school year (see related article).

Schools are required to administer a reading assessment (adopted by the commissioner of education) at the beginning of 7th grade to each student who did not demonstrate proficiency on the 6th grade reading TAKS.

Legislation passed in 2009 prohibits districts from administering any locally required test designed to prepare students for state-administered tests on more than 10 percent of instructional days, and allows campus site-based decision making committees to approve an even lower percentage of days.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has set a college readiness score of 2200 on the exit-level math and English language arts tests. Students who meet this score will be exempt from the Texas Higher Education Assessment, which is required by most colleges and universities for entrance. 

Vertical scale scores

As required by law, TEA has developed a vertical scale for assessing student performance on grades 3-8 TAKS tests. The vertical scale scores will replace the current scale scores for students taking English TAKS reading and math in grades 3-8 and Spanish TAKS reading and math in grades 3-6 in spring 2010.

Measure of annual improvement/tests to measure growth

The commissioner of education, as required by law, has determined a method by which TEA can measure annual improvement in student achievement from one year to the next on an assessment measure, called the Texas Projection Measure (TPM). Legislation passed in 2009 incorporates the TPM into the revised state accountability system, and requires TEA to determine the annual improvement necessary for a student to be prepared to perform satisfactorily on grades 5 and 8 state assessments as well as the end-of-course exams required for graduation. For more information on the TPM, see TEA’s website.

Legislation passed in 2009 requires TEA to develop state assessments in a manner that allows an appropriate range of performance to serve as a valid indication of growth in student achievement.

Teacher report card

Legislation passed in 2009 requires a school district to prepare a report of the comparisons made under the measure of annual improvement and provide it to teachers at the beginning of the school year for incoming students (a TCTA suggestion) as well as for students from the prior school year.

Student assessment data portal

TEA is required to establish a student assessment data portal for use by school districts, teachers, parents, students and public institutions of higher education. The estimated completion date is fall 2011.

Special education students

A new slate of tests (TAKS-Accommodated, TAKS-Alternate and TAKS-Modified) have replaced the State Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA) and Locally Developed Alternate Assessment (LDAA) as follows:

TAKS-Accommodated (TAKS-A): This test is for students receiving special education services for whom TAKS, even with allowable modifications, is not an appropriate assessment. Students may only take TAKS-A tests at their enrolled grade level.

TAKS-Alternate (TAKS-Alt): Federal regulations under the NCLB Act put a cap of 1 percent on the number of special education students who can be assessed with alternate standards using an assessment that is linked to the grade-level curriculum through prerequisite skills, and still be counted as proficient for purposes of meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP). Only students who are “significantly and cognitively disabled” can be included in this group. The TAKS-Alt is administered in grades 3-9 reading; grades 3-10 and exit-level math; grades 4 and 7 writing; grades 5, 8, 10 and exit-level science; grades 8, 10 and exit-level social studies; and grade 10 and exit-level English language arts. TAKS-Alt is designed to measure the academic progress of students who meet participation requirements.

TAKS-Modified (TAKS-M): Federal regulations under the NCLB also allow states and local school districts to count as proficient for purposes of AYP the scores of up to 2 percent of students who are assessed on modified achievement standards that are aligned with grade-level content standards. The TAKS-M is an assessment developed to meet federal requirements for these students.

Thus, between TAKS-Alt and TAKS-M, the scores of a total of 3 percent, or roughly 30 percent of a state’s student population who are tested on alternative modified achievement standards, can count as proficient for purposes of AYP.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) students

Legislation passed in 2009 provides that a student may be administered an accommodated or alternative assessment instrument or may be granted an exemption from or a postponement of the administration of an assessment instrument for a period of up to one year after initial enrollment in a school in the U.S., if the student is of LEP and has not demonstrated proficiency in English; for a period of up to three years if the student is also a recent unschooled immigrant (lacking necessary foundation in the TEKS as determined by the Language Proficiency Assessment Committee, as a result of inadequate schooling outside of the U.S.) and is in a grade for which no test is available in the student’s primary language; and for a period up to five years if the student’s initial enrollment in a school in the U.S. was as an unschooled asylee or refugee.

Student promotion requirements

Texas’ Student Success Initiative, which prohibits the social promotion of students, places emphasis on the TAKS test for determining whether a student advances to the next grade level. Legislation passed in 2009 eliminates the requirement that 3rd graders must pass the reading TAKS test to be promoted to the 4th grade, but retains the requirement that a 5th grade student must pass the math and reading TAKS tests to be promoted to the 6th grade and an 8th grade student must pass the math and reading TAKS tests to be promoted to the 9th grade.

The legislation provides that for all grades other than 5 and 8, each school district must adopt a policy regarding student advancement, which must include consideration of the student’s score on the state assessment; the recommendation of the student’s teacher; the student’s grade in each subject/course; and any other necessary information determined by the school district. Each time a student fails the state assessment in grades 3 through 8, the school district must provide the student with accelerated instruction, which may require participation of the student before or after normal school hours and may include participation outside of the normal school year. The maximum class size for accelerated instruction classes in grades 5 and 8 is 10 students per instructor. A student in grade 5 or 8 who fails to complete the required accelerated instruction cannot be promoted. A student in grade 5 or 8 who fails the state assessment but is promoted must be assigned in all foundation
curriculum subjects to a teacher who meets all state and federal qualifications to teach that subject and grade.

The first time a student fails the TAKS in grade 5 or 8, he/she must be provided at least two additional opportunities to retake the test. On the third try, the district may administer an alternative assessment approved by the commissioner of education, and the student may be promoted if he/she performs at grade level on the alternative assessment instrument.

After a student fails the TAKS a second time, a grade placement committee (GPC) shall be established to prescribe the accelerated instruction program the student must receive. The GPC is composed of the principal or designee, the student’s parent or guardian, and the teacher of the subject of the failed TAKS test. In the case of a special education student, the GPC is the Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee. If the student fails the TAKS a third time, he/she shall be retained unless the GPC unanimously determines that if promoted and given accelerated instruction, the student is likely to perform at grade level. In this case, the student must be provided with accelerated instruction, even after promotion.

Information about tests

Legislation passed in 2009 requires that, on or before Sept. 1 of each year, the commissioner must make available on the TEA website the number of questions on the assessment instrument, the number of questions that must be answered correctly to achieve satisfactory performance, the number of questions that must be answered correctly to achieve satisfactory performance under the college readiness performance standard, and the corresponding scale scores for each of the state assessments.

Computer-administered tests may not be required

Legislation passed in 2009 prohibits the commissioner from requiring school districts or charters from administering an assessment by computer.

Test security

It is a Class C misdemeanor to intentionally disclose any portion of a test which is likely to affect the individual performance of one or more students on the assessment.

Test release schedule

Tests are released to the public every three years.

Scheduling during TAKS testing week

UIL competitions may not be scheduled on Monday through Thursday, or the last testing day, of the primary TAKS assessment week. This provision does not apply to retesting.

*Students enrolling after Jan. 1 of the school year in which the student is eligible to graduate in Texas public schools for the first time, or who have been absent at least four years from any Texas public school, can take/pass a norm-referenced test in lieu of the exit-level TAKS.

Source: TEA Student Assessment Division