TEA Schedules Students to Fail
The revised elementary math TEKS are above grade level.
The math TEKS are designed for a 36 week school year. Since the STAAR tests are given in April, teachers have about 24 weeks instead of 36 weeks to teach all of the math TEKS.
The STAAR tests are given in April to provide time during the school year for retesting.
TEA sets the testing date early knowing that students do not have enough time to learn all the TEKS. Thus TEA is responsible for the low performance on the STAAR tests. Retesting is very expensive. Who benefits from the retesting? Not our children.
Once the STAAR tests are taken, students who pass are given busy work for about 6 weeks while students who fail are retested.
Not only are the TEKS increasing in difficulty, teachers are not given ample number of instructional days to prepare students.
The same is true for every course being tested.
What is the purpose of giving STAAR tests? It has nothing to do with education.
