April 2006
Copyright
© 2006 Queue, Inc.
IN THIS
ISSUE:
TEXAS NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS SCORES
To see this chart online or download it as an Excel spreadsheet:
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/stateprofiles/sresult.asp?mode=full&displaycat=7&s1=48
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NATIONAL TEST CONFIRMS TAKS TRENDS
National test results released recently show that the average
performance of Texas students in reading and mathematics is above the
national average in the elementary grades.
"Increases in average test scores over a 10-year period are
particularly evident in reading at grade 3 and in mathematics at grades
3 and 5," according to a new Texas National Comparative Data
Study.
Periodically, Texas students are given a national exam to determine how
their academic performance compares to that of children in other
states. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are given to elementary and
middle school students and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development
are given to high school students. The Iowa Tests were given in the
fall of the 2004-2005 school years. Approximately 500 Texas districts
were sampled and tests were given to about 12,500 students per grade.
The Iowa Tests results largely track results on the
state's Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
Texas students at grades 3–8 and 11 scored above the national average
on the Iowa Test's math exam. Students in the ninth grade
tied
the national average and 10th grade scored below the national average.
Reading performance was mixed with students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 11
scoring above the national average, while eighth-grade scores tied the
national average. Reading scores for grades 6, 7, 9 and 10 were below
the national average.
When Texas students' performance on the Iowa Tests are
examined
over a decade from 1994 to 2004, reading scores are up at grades 3, 4,
and 5; stable at grade 8; and down for grades 6, 7, and 10. Texas
results are not available over this time period for grades 9 and 11.
Reading and math Iowa Tests were not administered in 1994 at those
grade levels.
"The results on the Iowa Tests offer another validation that
the
Texas Reading Initiative, which focuses on grades 3-5, is paying off.
These results also confirm that the state's increased focus
on
improving secondary schools is justified," Commissioner of
Education Shirley J. Neeley said.
A comparison of math scores from 1994 and 2004 show improved
performance at grades 3, 4, 5 and 8 and stable scores at grades 6 and 7.
"We are pleased that our math scores for 2004 are above the
national average, but we must continue to improve in this area. Math
skills are a key component of 21st century jobs and we want our
students well prepared," Neeley said.
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INTENSIVE READING AND MATH INSTRUCTION GRANTS
About $20 million in Intensive Reading and Math Instruction grants will
soon be available to Texas schools to improve reading and math
achievement for students in grades 4–6. Campus eligibility was based on
2005 student passing rates on the fifth-grade reading and math TAKS
tests. To see the final applicant pool of eligible campuses, go to
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/iriimi.html.
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OVERVIEW OF THE TEXAS SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH INITIATIVE
The Texas High School Project (THSP), a statewide public-private
initiative committed to increasing graduation and college enrollment
rates in every Texas community, is launching a Texas Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math (T-STEM) Initiative. The T-STEM
Initiative partners include the Office of the Governor, the Texas
Education Agency (TEA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
the
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the Communities Foundation of
Texas, and National Instruments.
The T-STEM Initiative promotes education strategies that integrate the
teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in a way
that challenges students to innovate and invent. T-STEM
coursework requires students to demonstrate their understanding of
these disciplines in an environment that models real world contexts for
learning and work. Students participating in T-STEM education
graduate prepared to pursue postsecondary level coursework and careers
in science, technology, engineering, and math.
The T-STEM initiative has five major goals:
- Prepare Texas students for rewarding
careers in
the 21 st century economy by improving student achievement outcomes in
math and science and increasing the number of students who pursue
postsecondary studies and careers in science, technology, engineering,
and math
- Develop the nation's
leading innovation
economy workforce by aligning high school, postsecondary education, and
economic development activities
- Establish 35 Texas Science,
Technology,
Engineering, and Math Academies over the next five years in areas of
high need across the state, each year producing 3,500 Texas high school
graduates from diverse backgrounds, with the preparation to pursue
study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math related
fields
- Create 5-6 Texas Science, Technology,
Engineering,
and Math Centers across the state that will support the transformation
of teaching methods, teacher preparation, and instruction in the
science, technology, engineering, and math fields
- Establish a statewide best practices
network for
science, technology, engineering, and math education to promote broad
dissemination and adoption of promising practices from the initiative
and to improve math and science performance for students across Texas
Statewide Best Practices Network for STEM
The network will serve as a conduit for sharing best practices and
lessons learned from the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math Academies and Centers with all Texas middle and high schools.
Through the network, schools across the state will have access to
relevant professional development, rigorous math and science
curriculum, lessons plans infused with real-world activities in math
and science, and expert and peer advice. The STEM network will be an
excellent opportunity for schools, districts, institutes for higher
education, and other interested organizations to participate in the
T-STEM Initiative that may not be currently eligible for or receiving
grant funds. Further information about how to participate in the STEM
network will be made available on the TEA Web site soon.
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THE EDUCATIONAL POLICY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
The Educational Policy Center will engage in extensive research,
analysis, development, and implementation of state educational
policy. The center promises to enrich debates of educational
policy and practice with solid evidence as a means to address the
problems facing K-16 public education in both Texas and the
nation. The center is dedicated to defining major policy
issues
thoughtfully through a collegial, informed, and inclusive process and
to helping policy makers, state leadership, and the general public
assess the effectiveness of various policy-development strategies and
alternatives.
The collective expertise of The University of Texas research faculty,
combined with commissioned research studies, shall have bearing in
various areas pertaining to educational equity, including the
following: systemic reform (effective schools, home
schooling,
vouchers, charters, curriculum and instruction in math, science,
bilingual education, and special education), student achievement,
assessment, and accountability (of students, teachers, and systems),
school governance and finance; and K-16 linkages.
Center activities will include the following:
- Provide seed money for research by
tenured and tenure-track faculty members
- Provide research and mentorship
support for graduate students
- Provide faculty research fellowships
- Sponsor a working paper series
- Convene seminars to bring together top
scholars and leading policy makers
- Commission needed research
- Generate policy briefs
- Testify before state executive and
legislative committees, boards, and commissions
- Broker information from educational
research sources within Texas and nationwide
- Publish a semi-annual newsletter (PDF
file)
- Establish a post-doctoral research
program
- Host an annual "Texas Faces
the Future" distinguished lecture
Currently, the mission, scope, and focus of the center are being
addressed by a planning committee, with representatives from several
departments in the college as well as individuals from other schools
and colleges on campus, that meets regularly. The committee
is
planning to formally inaugurate the center in Fall 2006 in
conjunction with the first "Texas Faces the
Future"
Distinguished Lecture that will be delivered by Professor Gary Orfield
of the Harvard Civil Rights Project.
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THE TEXAS HOMELESS EDUCATION OFFICE
It is estimated that over 125,000 school-age children in Texas
experience homelessness during the course of a year. The Texas Homeless
Education Office is committed to ensuring that all Texas children in
homeless situations have the opportunity to enroll in, attend, and
succeed in school.
In its efforts to accomplish this goal, the office provides a variety
of services to school districts, education service centers, students,
parents, caregivers, service providers, shelters, state agencies,
advocates, higher education institutions, and other interested parties.
Every Child Has a Right to an Education
The federal Mckinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements
Act and Texas state law protect the rights of homeless children and
youth to receive a free and appropriate public education. Nearly
everyone in Texas who is between the ages of 5 and 21 on September 1 of
the school year and has not been expelled has the right to attend
school, even if they:
- don't have a permanent address;
- have a previous address in another town or state;
- don't live with a parent or legal guardian;
- live temporarily doubled-up with friends or family;
- sleep in a shelter;
- sleep in a campground,
car, abandoned building, or other facility not designated for, or
ordinarily used as regular accommodations for, human beings;
- don't have school records; or
- need help getting vaccinations or TB skin tests.
Enrollment and Eligibility Provisions:
A student's residential status (whether
or not the
student is homeless) should have no bearing on eligibility to
participate in a specific program, except in instances where
homelessness automatically confers eligibility. Students experiencing
homelessness should be able to participate in programs as any other
student would. They must meet any eligibility requirements, but should
not be excluded solely because they are homeless.
All prekindergarten children
experiencing
homelessness are eligible for the prekindergarten program. Texas
Education Code (TEC) 29.153
If they meet the eligibility
requirements, students
experiencing homelessness should be eligible for, but are not limited
to, the following types of programs and services:
- tutoring programs to
provide students with opportunities to make up missed school work and
to help students overcome problems they may be having with their studies
- counseling services to
help students and their families with school-related problems, family
issues, and locating community services
- pregnancy-related services
for pregnant and parenting students that may include individual
counseling, self-help programs, career counseling, job training,
daycare for the student's children, and transportation services
School Selection:
The Texas Education Code (TEC) and the
McKinney-Vento Act outline specific guidelines that determine the
school or district a homeless child or youth may attend. For a detailed
description of the school selection provisions please go to:
http://www.utdanacenter.org/theo/schoolselection.html
The Texas Attorney General has affirmed
that all
students experiencing homelessness may enroll in and attend school if
they do not have their immunization record under the 30-day enrollment
provisions.
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FREE
STUDENT WORKBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR PREVIEW (Advertisement)
Queue, Inc. offers previews of its Texas test
preparation workbooks to public schools.
Queue publishes test prep books in Mathematics, Reading
Comprehension,
and Composition for Grades 3–high school, as well as Practice
Tests in
Math.
Queue also offers Math and Reading workbooks for grades 1 and 2, and
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Samples of student
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or call:
800-232-2224
or fax: 800-775-2729
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or write: Queue, Inc., 1 Controls Dr., Shelton, CT 06484