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Texas public schools prepare for new STAAR, EOC tests

Posted: 8:30 PM Feb 27, 2012
Reporter: Kristen Shanahan

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SHERMAN, TX -- The new standardized testing program for Texas students is generating a lot of buzz. Local school staff is feeling a little more pressure as they try to prepare their students to pass the new STAAR and EOC exams.

Despite a budget cut of about $4 billion dollars to Texas public education the legislature is requiring the "State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness" test, and the "End of Course" exams to be implemented this year.

These new unfamiliar tests are adding stress to school staff, parents and students.

Sherman High School Senior Rebecca Braden says she knows the stress of going through standardized testing. Both her and her mother Ginger say state required exams gets in the way of actual learning.

"And if they don't pass them then they will take them out of their other activities and their other classes to put them in specific classes for them to be tutored to take a test," Ginger Braden said.

"And then we're behind in our other classes," Rebecca Braden said.

Sherman ISD is just one of the schools trying to prepare their students for the new STAAR and EOC exams.

Superintendent Dr. Al Hambrick believes focusing too much on standardized testing can get in the way of what students should be learning in class.

"Our state system for monitoring student performance is really a test driven system and I don't totally agree with it. I'm in agreement with monitoring student performance, but I think that we are getting very close to going overboard," Dr. Hambrick said.

Starting this year the STAAR exam will take over the TAKS test and will be given to students in grades 3 through 8.

Administrators expect the new test to be more difficult than the one before, and teachers are stressing about how to prepare students with little information to go off of.

"What we are preparing students for we're not really sure of at this point because we haven't received and type of standard scale score requirements, any of that, so this is sort of a trial year for the STAAR test," Dr. Hambrick said.

The EOC exams will be taken by students in grades 9 through 11 after each course, a total of 12 tests that will make up for 15 percent of a students final grade.

Dr. Hambrick says these new types of tests definitely raise the bar, but it is a challenge both students and teachers are willing to take on.

"It's certainly not just a task it's a journey that they have to work on with our students," Dr. Hambrick said.

S.I.S.D staff says this year the exams will not go towards student's final grades, that this year is being treated as a "test trial".