Below is the HillCo client report from the October 8 House Public Education Committee hearing.
The committee met to hear recommendations related to the following interim charge:
Monitor the implementation of HB 5 (83R) and report on recommendations for improvement. Work with the Texas Education Agency, the State Board of Education, and public and higher education stakeholders to ensure the creation of additional rigorous mathematics and science courses needed to address the current and projected needs of the state's workforce.
Shelly Ramos, Curriculum Education Division Texas Education Agency (TEA)
- Gave update on SBOE creation of mathematics and science courses including but not limited to:
- Developing resources such as the graduation tool kit
- Made forms available to the districts in regards to the endorsements
- Chair Aycock – in regards to funding materials – will these courses require additional materials
- CTE texts – text should align to instructional materials so it is part of normal materials adoptions cycle
- 2 mathematic courses don’t follow in the cycle so districts would have to use their allotment to purchase materials
- First online courses of Virtual School network will be available 15-16 school year
- Courses are all current technical education courses and being developed by Texas School Districts – Texas specific audiences
- Focus is on district developed courses
- Unused textbook discussion
- Members asked question about use of textbooks and if they are being utilized
- Aycock said every campus has stack of unused books but expects it is better after IMA
Gloria Zyskowski, TEA Staff on Assessments
- 4 of 5 of the end of course assessments have pass rates over 90%
- Aycock said in develop of test that developers would not keep test questions with high passage rates
- TEA staff builds the test to a blueprint
- Strives to make level of difficulty held from one year to the next
- General rule – look for questions in the middle on difficulty (based on field test)
- Rep. Ratliff – has assessment bar been raised – rigor of expectation and rigor of test
- TAKS model was just basic test of knowledge and skills
- STAAR model is about college/career readiness
- Assessments don’t have to cover all the TEKS – cannot measure every single thing that was taught
- No reason to put something on the test everyone knows because they are trying to get new information
- Aycock said the movement of standards has been upwards in regards to rigor and STAAR is now about assessing higher level thinking skills – factual learning and higher order of assessment seems to be bogging down – can you measure both of these things in the same instrument
- Feel confident based on review of in-house experts, Texas teachers that items capture content and apply them
Chris Cloudt, TEA Staff
- Temporary ratings in place currently – Aug 2017 will be new system for districts and campuses
- 90% of districts have appealed their ratings
- Unacceptable ratings on Community & Student Engagement Ratings– districts (not schools) that have rated themselves as unacceptable
- TEA sent letters to 120 superintendents who rated their districts as “noncompliant”
- Ratliff concerned that performance index framework is a one size fits all system – would like to see a bit more flexibility community individualization
Q&A of TEA panel
Rep. Dan Huberty inquires about testing for those special needs students
- Several significant changes for special needs students
- Redesigned alternative to test – modified assessment
- Those getting modified instructions received a modified assessment
- TEA will get passing rate of modified test to committee
- New test will be called STAAR accommodated which also has text to speech function
- It was a condition of the federal waiver that the modified assessment be eliminated
Huberty – after students complete the test they cannot leave the room?
- Wants these issues fixed or will file a bill again to have this discussion and get rid of all tests
Huberty – can electronics be used?
- There are electronics that used but they do have restrictions on cell phone use
- Those students that have a demonstrated need have a mechanism in place for districts to allow use of that item
Aycock asked about ACT/SAT performance discussion over last few days in relations to assessments
- TEA is still looking at the data
- The information is accurate – data is not out of line with data they are seeing on STAAR
- Instruction must include analytical skills
Rep. Ratliff – will have STAAR accommodated/same items or STAAR alt now? No longer modified option?
- Yes
- What grade level will they get – the test that matches their enrolled grade level
- Ratliff said despite IEP developed by the locals – students are being set up for failure so how will TEA handle test required for promotion
- Committee could make decision that student does not pass the test
- Ratliff asked how this will now be reported – significant portion of students deemed as failure taking a test they are not qualified or prepared for – can this data be disaggregated
- TEA will look into the issue
- Medically fragile people could be exempted – but members caution staff to look at various terms since cognitive issues and other codes that could allow for exemption
Dr. Uri Treisman Director of Dana Center
- HB 5 sets seamless transition in place
- 2/3 of students taking calculus in college already took it in High School
- College faculty connecting with high school faculty
- Teachers need to believe they can teach it and have resources to teach
- TSI was developed before recent modernization
Dineen Majcher, TAMSA
- Suggest language in statue to decrease testing in national level when changes in NCLB occur
- Eliminate high stakes for grade promotion
- Provided handout to committee on what other states are doing in regards to testing/graduation
- Suggest eliminate writing component
Greg Cumptom, LBJ Public Affairs Research Center
- Counselor are important particular with passage of HB 5 in regards to choices of courses
- No substitute for counselor spending time with students
- Currently state does not collect data in order to measure outcome and suggestions to do that – in regards to occupational certifications
Selena Moreno, Attorney with MALDEF
- Elimination of all high stakes testing
- Attention to misalignment between endorsements and college – removed courses like Algebra II
- Algebra II is heavily tested on SAT and think removal of Algebra II – these results will continue to decline
Sandra West, Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT)
- STAAR does not need to be high stakes
- Concerned about some of CTE courses and will provide input to SBOE by deadline
- Further recommendations will be provided to the committee before the 84th
Howell Wright, Deputy Superintended to San Marcos ISD
- HB 5 has put some additional work on counselors – alignment and information parents, teachers and students
- Some were concerned this is a tracking type of bill – believes more information and support can be provide to help counter this
- Courses with community colleges are being reduced because of associate degrees hours were reduced
- CTE credit at middle school like Algebra I so they can start that sequence
Mike Maroney, Jobs for Texas Coalition
- Frustrated with 4 performance indexes not able to tinker with any aspect of the performance indexes
- Frustrated that each of the components tied to testing
- CTE students graduate at a higher rate than the other student populations
10th Grade Pflugerville Teacher
- Transition from TAKS to STAAR was not sufficient
- Had no idea what to expect on test and as proctor jobs were threatened if they looked at answers
- No way of showing students how to improve answers and many students failed because of lack of feedback
- This fall they had authentic feedback for the class and can now accurately teach to the test
- Even NCLB does not recommend tying graduation to testing
- Aycock said he is under the impression that the Education Commissioner does not think he can waive requirements if they are in statute
Teresa Trevino, TAMSA
- STAAR creating a norm reference test and already have two test that do this SAT/ACT
- Colleges not asking for assessment test scores
Steve Swanson, Individual
- Encourages committee to think about spirit of HB 5