Published: 01-17-08
AUSTIN - Commissioner of Education Robert Scott announced today that he is adjusting the state testing calendar to ensure that no Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exams are given on the March 4 primary election day.“By moving testing dates we can preserve schools as polling places and maintain a calm quiet secure testing environment for our students” Scott said.
The commissioner decided to change the testing calendar after consulting with many superintendents testing coordinators and education service center directors
Many schools are used as polling places. For the first time a testing date and election day coincided because of three changes in the law. Lawmakers moved the March election day up by one week. Another law pushed the start date for schools back to late August and because of that change a third bill required testing to occur two weeks later than it did during the 2006-2007 school year.
When public comment was requested on a draft version of the testing calendar this past summer none of the comments received expressed a concern about conducting testing on election day. But as election day draws near some district officials began to worry that the steady influx of voters into their building could be distracting to students taking a high-stakes test.
Under the new calendar all tests scheduled for March 4-6 will be given one day later than originally scheduled. The exit-level TAKS social studies exam which was originally scheduled for Friday March 7 will be moved to Monday March 3.
“We know this change causes additional work for our district and campus testing coordinators so we have not made this decision lightly. We had to balance the long-standing tradition of using schools as polling places with children’s right to a quiet testing environment as they take high stakes exams” Scott said.
Some of the tests that were originally scheduled to be given on Tuesday March 4 determine whether children are promoted to the next grade or whether they will graduate from high school.
While state tests are not normally administered on Monday the exit-level social studies exam affects the fewest number of test takers approximately 10000 students statewide.
About 2.6 million students in grades 3457891011 and any senior who has not met testing requirements for graduation will take the TAKS during this week.
From: Texas Education Agency Press Releases
