TAKS exit exams to be replaced by STAAR end-of-course tests next year

Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, the state’s standardized testing program, now called the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, will be replaced by the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR.

Testing of students in grades 3 to 8 will remain largely the same, but dramatic changes are in store for high school students, who will now be subject to end-of-course exams.

Students who currently are in 8th grade will be the first to take the end-of-course tests.

Under the TAKS system, students were required to pass four “exit” exams in four core subject areas in order to graduate. The four subject areas are: math, science, social studies, and language arts.

Under the new end-of-course, or EOC system, students will have to pass 12 end-of-course exams in order to graduate, which means they must pass three tests in the four subject areas. In addition, students’ test scores will count for 15 percent of their grade in the course, which means test scores will affect a student’s grade point average.

The specific courses that will be tested are: English 1, 2, 3; Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2; World Geography, World History, and U.S. History; and Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

The transition from TAKS to STAAR will be challenging. Next year, ninth graders will be taking end-of-course tests, while 10th, 11th, and 12th graders will continue to take TAKS tests.

The number of tests and retests will increase significantly under STAAR, and keeping track of test scores and needed intervention will require a huge effort.

(Adapted from Northside ISD Newsletter)