Question One: What educational issues did the school districts encounter moving from TAKS to EOC & STARR testing?
The demand for assessment reform is mostly due to the limitations of the current methods of assessment, the changing nature of educational goals and the relationship between teaching and learning and assessment. However, the transition from one testing method to another is always marred by challenges. For instance, when moving from TAKS to EOC & STARR testing, some of the educational issues that school districts encountered include the maintenance of standards in performance. For instance, it was reported by the Texas Education Agency that about 105,000 in the eighth and fifth grade who could not pass the reading portion of the STAAR in jeopardizing their graduation ( Johnson, 2013 ) .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
It has been reported that four years after STAAR replaced TAKS; the learners’ success rate on various sections of the tests has been about 70 percent ( Johnson, 2013 ) . Some educationists suggested that the test format is to blame since it was developed by the item-response theory, which rates learners basing on how other students perform and not what they have gained in class (Danielson, 2007 ) . The school districts also grappled with leaving it up to them to consider EOC examination as fifteen percent of a learner’s mark in a particular unit. It was also problematic when adjusting the ranking requirement on the EOC tests that learners are required to meet to allow them to proceed, and letting a number of the learners in secondary school to sit for the EOC tests, and not TAKS for a certain amount of time. The primary issue has been about the value of the state resting system (TCTA, 2013) .
Question Two: What actions did school districts take to address these issues?
Rob Eissler, the House Public Education Committee Chairperson, authored the HB 500, which provided that the school districts would decide which portion of the learners' EOC grade would be considered (TCTA, 2013) . Furthermore, the bill would alter the EOC tests’ collective score requirements, giving the learners an opportunity to graduate by attaining the total score of 12 EOC examination or by attaining the education commissioner’s lowest mark on four identified EOC examination (Danielson, 2007). The school districts also elected the State Board of Education to deal with the concerns.
Regarding the challenges with STAAR, several possible solutions have been fronted including parental involvement or removing the test altogether. It is believed that this testing curriculum, especially in English, writing, and reading, is becoming too advanced and difficult for the learners ( Johnson, 2013 ) . It has also been suggested that school districts hold on to some of their hands-on learning styles that were used previously.
Question Three: What role can school business manager’s play in supporting school districts’ efforts to implement the requirements of new testing and accountability standards form AEIS to TAPR reporting?
In the recent years, the role of the school business manager has matured from just the corner of the office to front racing (Woods, 2011). A school business manager ensures successful and smooth running of schools by dealing with administrative, managerial, and leadership complexities that confront their schools. In this regard, the school district manager would address the school district to implement the new testing plans within the school by improving the schools’ effectiveness to adopt the changes aptly (Danielson, 2007). The school business managers make a significant contribution to the successful delivery of new improvement initiatives in the school that can lead to better outcomes for the learners such as the introduction of a better learning environment or testing methods (Woods, 2011) . They are involved in educational decision-making particularly on issues related to learning, teaching, and a school district’s curriculum. The implementation of a new testing technique is only possible through cooperation between the school districts and the schools, and the school business managers are at the center of it all to make the relationship seamless.
References
Danielson, C. (2007). Enhancing professional practice: A framework for teaching . New York, NY: ASCD
Johnson, J. A. (2013). Getting to Excellence: What every educator should know about consequences of beliefs, values, attitudes, and paradigms for the reconstruction of an academically unacceptable middle school. Austin, TX: AuthorHouse
TCTA. (2013, April 10). Here a test, there a test…..STAAR issues stacking up. Texas Classroom Teachers Association . Retrieved from https://tcta.org/node/12980
Woods, C. E. (2011). Using Q methodology to explore leadership: The role of the school business manager. International Journal of Leadership in Education , 14 (3), 317-335.
