Tag Archives: standardized testing

HISD misses on accountability ratings

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There’s now a second reason for the TEA to step in and take over HISD. Houston ISD moved a major step closer to temporarily losing local control over its school board Thursday, as long-awaited state academic accountability ratings showed one … Continue reading →

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So what’s the goal of a TEA takeover of HISD?

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The history of TEA takeovers of school districts is mixed, so we ought to be clear about what the forthcoming takeover of HISD is supposed to do. In recent years, districts subject to state-appointed boards successfully have balanced budgets and … Continue reading →

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Achieve 180 schools showing progress

Posted on March 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I hope it’s enough. Houston ISD schools covered by the district’s $16 million campus turnaround plan saw modest improvements in the program’s first year — enough to outpace gains reported across the district, but not nearly enough to pull chronically … Continue reading →

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HISD’s last stand

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They have their work cut out for them. Houston ISD’s four Hispanic trustees took hold of the school board’s top officer positions Thursday, led by Trustee Diana Dávila winning election as president of the much-maligned governance team. Dávila, who has … Continue reading →

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The TEA could have already taken over HISD

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I had not known this. For more than a year, Houston ISD leaders have fretted over the possibility of a state takeover mandated under a recently passed law, known as HB 1842. The statute directs the Texas Education Agency to … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott to HISD: Drop dead

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. A post sent from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Twitter account Thursday lambasted Houston ISD’s leadership as “a disaster” that has failed children in the state’s largest school district — a rare public … Continue reading →

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TEA offers to lend HISD a hand

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Could be a decent deal. A top Texas Education Agency official offered Tuesday to intensively work with Houston ISD’s much-maligned school board to dramatically overhaul its approach to governance, shifting focus toward student outcomes and away from distracting personal agendas. … Continue reading →

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Falling short on college readiness

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not good. A majority of students at the top-rated high schools in Texas are likely to need remedial course work when they get to college because they don’t score well enough on entrance exams, a Hearst Newspapers analysis of newly … Continue reading →

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HISD avoids sanctions for this year

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Big sigh of relief. Houston ISD will avoid major state sanctions for at least one year after four of its longest-struggling schools met state academic standards this year, according to preliminary results released Wednesday. The announcement ensures the Texas Education … Continue reading →

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HISD is optimistic about not being taken over (yet)

Posted on July 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I hope it’s warranted. Several of Houston ISD’s longest-struggling elementary and middle schools posted significant gains on state standardized tests in 2018, including all three campuses that must meet Texas academic standards this year to avoid triggering major sanctions, according … Continue reading →

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One small piece of relief for Harvey-affected school districts

Posted on December 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not much, but it’s something. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath is not changing state standardized test dates for students affected by Hurricane Harvey, but he is waiving some requirements for certain students, his agency said Thursday. Students across the … Continue reading →

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New school grading system looks pretty harsh

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Schools in poor neighborhoods overwhelmingly received the worst grades under Texas’ new rating system — but even typically high-performing districts got C’s and D’s, according to scores that will be released Friday. The “what if” grades show how … Continue reading →

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STAAR test lawsuit survives motion to dismiss

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

On to trial. After a group of parents sued the Texas Education Agency over the 2016 administration of STAAR exams, state lawyers argued this summer that the parents had no standing and asked the courts to drop the case. This … Continue reading →

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STAAR screwups

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer: Texas’ standardized testing program wasn’t exactly popular before the 2015-2016 school year, but this year’s State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) has been an especially frustrating experience for Texas students, parents and school officials. New … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over STAAR exams

Posted on May 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. A backlash against this year’s STAAR exams escalated Monday when a group of parents sued the state in an attempt to keep schools from using 2016 test scores to rate students — including deciding whether students should advance to … Continue reading →

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On teaching kids who don’t speak English

Posted on March 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From The Atlantic: Out of all the cities in Texas, this would seemingly have been the one where schools knew how to help Spanish-speaking students learn. El Paso is progressive and welcoming, and is more than 80 percent Latino. Its … Continue reading →

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Keeping an eye on Katy ISD

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This could be interesting. Some of the details of George Scott’s “shadow school board” are still that – shadowy. But as the conservative blogger has assembled a group to meet regularly to reach its own conclusions about the business of … Continue reading →

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HISD’s test scores

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Not so good. Needs to be better. Houston ISD high school students continue to struggle with reading and writing, passing state exams at significantly lower rates than the state average, new results show. The district’s scores in algebra, biology and … Continue reading →

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What now for Terry Grier?

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The HISD Superintendent is in the last year of his contract, and it’s not clear whether it will get extended or not. Kashmere has made limited strides as one of the schools in Superintendent Terry Grier’s signature reform effort, called … Continue reading →

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Where the education reform bills stand

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the attempt to take a first stab at school finance reform did not make it to the House floor. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t some action on school-related issues. This Chron story from the weekend recapped a … Continue reading →

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Time again to talk textbooks

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Kathy Miller of the Texas Freedom Network sounded the alarm in the Sunday op-eds. The last time Texas adopted social studies textbooks – in 2002 – political activists and members of the state education board themselves demanded scores of changes … Continue reading →

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HISD hires its defenders for the teacher evaluation lawsuit

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have to say, I’m a bit uncomfortable with this. Earlier this year, seven teachers sued the Houston Independent School District in federal court over their evaluation system. That system uses a statistical formula and student test scores to grade … Continue reading →

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Meet T-TESS

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Texas has a new teacher evaluation system on the way. It won’t come without a fight. Texas’ more than 380,000 public school teachers are girding for a tumultuous few years as a new method of grading their performance is expected … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over teacher evaluation system

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A new front is opened in the war on standardized testing. Seven HISD teachers and their union are suing the school district to try to end job evaluations tied to students’ test scores, arguing the method is arbitrary, unfair and … Continue reading →

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Two truths about testing

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg boils it down. While there’s no doubt standardized tests are an important part of student assessment, somewhere along the way, they became too important. We’ve tethered them to everything from student promotion to teacher pay to school reputation. … Continue reading →

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Abbott denies his pre-k plan means standardized testing for 4-year-olds

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Glad we cleared that up. After questions were raised about language in a policy proposal that appears to call for the biannual testing of pre-kindergarten students, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott’s campaign is clarifying his early education plan, saying he is … Continue reading →

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New accountability standards, more schools on the failing list

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Not a good headline. The number of officially faltering public schools in Texas almost doubled last year, in part because of higher accountability standards imposed by state education policy. The Texas Education Agency released Thursday a list of 892 schools … Continue reading →

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School finance trial do-over set to start soon

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Once more into the breach. Hundreds of school districts in North Texas and across the state will resume their courtroom battle over funding in January, arguing that new money and reduced testing did little to fix Texas’ school finance system. … Continue reading →

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What can we do to improve reading skills in HISD?

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I wish I knew. HISD students continue to struggle with reading while matching or exceeding their peers’ math performance in other big cities, according to national test data released Wednesday. Reading scores for the district’s fourth- and eighth-graders have stagnated … Continue reading →

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No testing waiver

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, kids. The federal government has denied the state’s request to waive No Child Left Behind testing requirements for students in elementary and middle school, the Texas Education Agency announced Monday. If the waiver had been granted, students who excel … Continue reading →

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The new accountability standards

Posted on August 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the TEA press release about the school accountability ratings for 2013, which came out on Thursday. The Texas Education Agency today released the 2013 state accountability system ratings for more than 1,200 school districts and charters, and more than … Continue reading →

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Don’t count on that federal testing waiver

Posted on August 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It could happen, but don’t expect your high-scoring kid to spend less time taking tests going forward. A plan to reduce testing for higher-performing elementary and middle school students was one of the feel-good bills of the 2013 legislative session. … Continue reading →

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Testing waiver sought

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a follow up for a bill passed during the regular legislative session. In a letter sent [last] week to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Education Commissioner Michael Williams is seeking clarification on whether the federal agency has the authority to … Continue reading →

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Back to court for the school finance lawsuit

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Like deja vu all over again. State district court Judge John Dietz likened the state’s school finance case to the soap opera As The World Turns when he opened Wednesday’s hearing on whether to reconsider evidence in the trial that … Continue reading →

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