District Administration - May 2010 - (Page 35)

Gov. Rick Perry characterized the Race to the Top fund as an attempt at “a federal takeover of our schools,” and participation as “foolish and irresponsible.” State board of education members Don McLeroy and Gail Lowe at a 2009 meeting. McLeroy led the March effort to pass a politically conservative version of state social studies standards, attracting both national attention and controversy. McLeroy lost his March bid for re-election, but will remain in offfice through January 2011. nation’s education policies emerged: an emphasis on accountability. A 1979 state bill greatly increased state funding to districts but also mandated that all students take the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) exam to analyze performance in writing, reading and mathematics in the third, fifth and ninth grades. is test was replaced by the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) exam in 1985, which students were required to pass in order to graduate high school. is was replaced by the more challenging Texas Assessment of Academic Skills exam (TAAS) in 1991, under Democratic Gov. Ann Richards and Education Commissioner Lionel Meno. e results of these exams, combined with attendance records, determined school and district rankings in the state. Texas was unique, and ahead of other states, in that its testing took student groups into account—white, black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged—therefore forcing districts to focus on closing their achievement gaps. When Republican George W. Bush came into office as Texas governor in 1995, he surprised many by not only supporting the accountability measures of his Democratic predecessor, but actually strengthening them by increasing state funding, requiring teacher testing and evaluation by principals to maintain their licensing, and forcing high schools to increase the number of college-preparatory courses offered and “Texas schools are in the top tier... but the work to get here has been long, hard and complicated, and with disagreements, disputes and compromises throughout.” -Don McAdams, Center for the Reform of School Systems groups. Seventy-nine percent of all Texas students met minimum expectations for the TAAS in 2000, up from just 53 percent in 1994, and the percentage of AfricanAmerican, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students meeting expectations nearly doubled in the same period (TAAS has since been replaced by TAKS, the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). No Child Left Behind e apparent success of these accountability measures motivated Bush to continue his emphasis on school accountability when he became president in 2001, most clearly in his signature education policy, the No Child Left Behind act. Bush and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who served as Bush’s senior advisor when he was Texas governor, made clear that it was their experience in Texas that informed the development of the historic and sweeping federal policy, which requires that schools meet adequate yearly progress or face federal sanctions. “When I was governor of Texas, I didn’t like it one bit when I’d go to schools in my state and realize that children the number of students taking the SAT. “Texas has a very good accountability system that began to develop thanks to others who preceded me,” Bush said in an interview with e New York Times in 1999 as he left office to begin his presidential campaign. “I have worked hard to strengthen it, to continue to raise the bar.’’ Student achievement climbed steadily and significantly over the decade, particularly in minority and low-income student 1884: 1915: Office of state superintendent restored as an elective office. State enacts compulsory school attendance law. Getty Images 1979: 1990: State senate bill requires students to take the TABS exam, which takes all student groups into account and highlights achievement gaps. TAAS, a more rigorous state exam, is introduced and remains in place for 12 years. www.DistrictAdministration.com May 2010 35 http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - May 2010

District Administration - May 2010
Contents
Tech Disruptions
From the Editor
News Update
Technology
Conversations
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Problem Solution
Power to the Students!
Lone Star
Racing for Reform
Department of Education Revives Civil Rights Office
New Products
Product Focus
Crisis Response
Supervisor’s Opinion
Professional Opinion

District Administration - May 2010

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