The Texas Education Code required the commissioner of education to conduct a study to determine the need to expand the assessment system to include the assessment in grades 7 and 8 of limited English proficient (LEP) students whose primary language is Spanish and other students of limited English proficiency. This report presents the research…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of including special education students in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) accountability subset of students. In 1999, the accountability subset was expanded to include scores for all special education students not exempted and all bilingual/limited English proficient (LEP)…

This report provides a summary of test results from the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP), including alternative tests taken for TASP purposes as authorized by state law, by student race/ethnicity for academic year 1999-2000. The results are provided for each Texas public university and community or technical college and for the entire state.…

Testing has almost completely lost its identity as a device to increase access to college for the underprivileged. Testing today is seen as a device to deny access. Intelligence is randomly distributed among the rich and the poor, and testing helps remove privilege as a guarantee of success and advancement. (MLW)

Describes a state survey conducted to assess the effectiveness of postsecondary remedial education programs in Texas. Reviews current practices and offers recommendations with respect to student assessment and placement, remedial course offerings, program evaluation, and curricular coordination. (DMM)

A mail questionnaire study involving 3,000 Texas educators was undertaken to describe the effects of certain Texas education reform policies as they relate to teacher burnout. Focus was on determining how the production of teacher-required paperwork and mandated student achievement testing influence teacher burnout. An initial mailing resulted in…

As the result of educational reform legislation passed in Texas in 1984, a recertification examination was instituted for practicing elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators. The deadline for successful completion of the test by educators was June 30, 1986. The emphasis was on measuring reading and writing abilities, and an…

Texas students have made extraordinarily large gains on statewide achievement tests, the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), gains so dramatic that they have been dubbed the "Texas miracle." There is general agreement that these gains are attributable to the high stakes accountability system in Texas, but there is some question…

In fall 1988, a study was conducted to determine the major issues and problems facing the presidents and chancellors of Texas community/junior colleges, to identify solutions being implemented to address these problems/issues, to identify new curricula and administrative programs, and to assess research activities and needs. Questionnaires were…

A process called focused holistic scoring has been developed for use in the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills to assess student performance on writing samples. This process is "holistic" because it evaluates a total piece of writing, and it is "focused" because it evaluates the writing in terms of two specific objectives…

Building on two previous studies in 1997 and 1999, this study aimed to: (1) determine whether the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) has had a positive impact on students academic performance; (2) determine the perception of the TASP among key community, junior, and technical college personnel across Texas; and (3) determine the impact on…

This study was conducted to determine whether norm-referenced test data and Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) data from 1995 and 1999 showed similar gains in reading and mathematics achievement. TAAS data were collected from all students in Texas who were in the accountability subset of scores used for rating schools, approximately…

The accountability subset of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was studied over 4 years to identify trends that might explain why the 1999 TAAS passing rate did not decrease as was predicted. Expanding the accountability index in those years to include special education students was expected to cause a decline in the TAAS…

This annual report presents results from the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) of the College Board's Admissions Testing Program and the American College Testing (ACT) Program's original and enhanced ACT assessment for prior year graduating seniors. The last decade had brought some recovery over the decline of the previous 10 years in both Texas and…

This annual report presents Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and American College Testing (ACT) Program results for Texas for the 1993-94 graduating class. The last decade brought some recovery over the previous decade's decline in both Texas and national SAT averages, with relatively more improvement in Texas within the last 8 years. The average…