BISD WANTS TESTING PROVISIONS PULLED FROM SCHOOL FINANCE BILL
The Brenham ISD is urging state legislators to remove the controversial testing provisions from the School Finance Reform Bill.
(Brenham ISD)
In a release from the district’s administrative office, Superintendent Dr. Walter Jackson says he’s, “greatly disappointed that the Senate has passed House Bill 3 by a vote of 18-13.” Senator Lois Kolkhorst’s office counters that the vote was actually 26-2, according to the Senate Journal.
The bill includes provisions for four new writing tests in grades 3-8 and a new assessment in kindergarten.
Jackson says parents, educators, and the general public have made it clear that students are already tested too much.
Jackson says the BISD, “accepts the challenges of accountability, but feels strongly that adding additional testing will not produce greater learning, rather it will serve as a deterrent to authentic learning and teaching.”
Jackson goes on the say the district already has the formula for positive school reform; hire great teachers, pay them well, support them, and allow them to teach and nurture the future.
Meanwhile, Senator Kolkhorst counters, “Our teachers, students and taxpayers deserve unwavering support because they're building the future of Texas. That's why I am proud to help pass House Bill 3 with overwhelming bipartisan support. This legislation brings together the best of Texas by providing landmark school finance reform that raises the state's share of student funding, delivers a state-funded $5,000 pay raise for classroom teachers and librarians, and also provides meaningful property tax relief."
The district is requesting that the legislators remove the additional testing provisions from HB-3, and do not tie additional school funding to the STAAR tests.
I am so grateful for the much needed raise for teachers and property tax relief as a bonus. I am very sad that so many are ungrateful. It make us teachers look bad. I say thank you!
The raise is only funded till Sep 2020, then it dissapears
I know our local representatives have the teachers backs. They made a commitment and I believe that they will keep it. They know we are watching. Again, I say thank you!
You need to do some research and see how much these tests cost. There is enough money going into them that could give a huge tax relief.
HB 3 includes $100 million for the additional tests. And reading tests have been proven to be flawed by 2 separate research studies stating that questions are 2 grade levels above the grade that is being tested. A huge waste of money by so called conservative Republicans. We must vote these clowns out of office.
As I read the bill, many of the comments here seem to be simply incorrect.
Under HB 3, Texas teachers will get a $5,000 pay increase. But, it specifically prohibits evaluating teacher performance and incentive pay based solely on STAAR test scores. Two STAAR tests were eliminated and it also provides for a full day of pre-k and substantial property tax reform. An independent audit of the STAAR testing program will also be conducted.
Where is everyone getting there information? Just read the bill!
It’s always been eye opening to me when we follow the money. Who is/will benefit from the tax dollars spent on state testing in Texas? As a parent and public school educator I say no to testing. It’s NOT creating better educated students, but it is putting money in someone’s pocket. Follow the money!
Sincerely,
Freda Johnson
Thank you, Dr. Jackson for explaining the problem with additional testing. STAAR reading tests have been proven to be written two grade levels above the tested grade.
Blaming schools for poor performance on a poorly written test is like blaming a mechanic for not being able to change SAE nuts and bolts with a metric set of tools.
Dr Jackson shouldn’t make this claim without citing exactly where in the bill there are new tests. Reading the bill tonight I see that they split one long testing session into three smaller ones but left the overall time used for exactly the same. From what I understand that was done to make the tests easier to implement and cause less student stress.!!!!! This is a good bill and i admire the senator for trying to help our classroom teachers and students. Bravo Lois! It is sad to complain and react before even reading the bill.
How sad that Dr. Jackson refuses to accept the call for educational excellence. We have watched our district’s scores on state standardize tests continue to worsen under the current administration and curriculum. In yeas past Brenham schools ranked very highly on state standardize test scores. If our school administration is truly accepting the challenge of accountability, the “authentic learning and teaching” they speak of should result in better state standardized test scores! I salute Senator Kolkhorst and our legislators in working to reform school finance and in demanding that our educators be accountable for what is happening in our schools and classrooms!
salute to lawmakers…you must not have a child in the current educational system. These kids are being subjected to concepts that are ways to advanced for their developmental abilities! The teachers are having to follow state mandates instead of teaching our children at a pace that each individual child needs.
Also, kids may have great grades and fail the STARR due to anxiety, have to attend summer school or are held back a grade due to this ridiculous test!
The teachers who go to school to learn how to teach our kids…they are certified to teach our kids….but are not allowed to do so….I think before your start siding with the government you should sit in a classroom for a day and get the facts!!
I have a child in BISD and my spouse is a classroom teacher at the elementary level so I think I have a decent idea of what is happening. I believe you hit on some very valid points, you mention how our teachers are certified and educated how to teach but are that they are not allowed to do so. What you may not realize is that this is coming directly from our local administration, not from the state. It is widely known among the staff that the curriculums they are being forced to use do not work but our administration refuses to listen to the teachers. Our local administration spends lots of time padding their own personal resumes making themselves look good, but do you ever see any of them spend serious time in the schools with teachers and students? This is not state mandated, it is LOCAL. From a purely objective view point, the test is a true measure of the students learning and is a valid tool to use. You mention kids with great grades who cannot pass the test, but you may not realize how much pressure teachers are under not to give bad grades or to fail a child. Many fall to the pressure and pass the kids, versus dealing with retaliation from the administration and giving them the grade they deserve. You have to know both sides of the coin and in this case, much of the buck stops at the central office.
Thank you so much for the pay raise Senator Kolkhorst. You are a true friend to Texas teachers! Blessings!
I am so disappointed in Sen. Kolkhorst and her colleagues who blatantly ignored educators and parents who have repeatedly told legislators how detrimental high-stakes testing is for our students. Most teachers I know would forego the $5,000 raise in exchange for having a voice that our legislators listen to. Who benefits from more testing? Certainly not our students or our schools.
Because state testing Kindergarten students make sense. Good grief.
Adding writing assessments which are notoriously difficult to grade is pure insanity, and I’d like to see how much ETS (testing company) paid to get provision added. But even worse that the additional writing tests are the kindergarten assessments they’ve added. It’s so disheartening as an educator, a mom, and a decent human being who believes the staar is a broken assessment tool.
Once again the state is choosing to penalize struggling school districts who lack funding to attract high quality teachers to produce great test results. The schools which do have the highest quality staff which produce top test scores get the increased funds. Makes no sense at all. Know who you vote for and research the candidates.
Great Job Brenham ISD for standing up for students, teachers and parents. Shame on you Lois Kolkhorst for grandstanding and talking out of both sides your mouth. Your release is inaccurate and self-serving. Ever since she got in the Senate it is all about politics and very little about what is best for the people. We need to take notice and hold her accountable!
The extra testing and merit pay need to be struck from the bill. There are a multitude of outside influences, beyond the teacher’s control, that affect a student’s academic success. The tests have been proven to be above grade level. The students with dyslexia and learning disabilities are assessed with he same instrument as the general education population although there is documentation of learning difficulties. They are allowed accommodations, but the accommodations do not adjust the test to the student’s academic level, and are very unfair to the students, and their scores are counted in with the school’s ranking. So, we are testing students above their grade level and ignoring their disabilities, and scoring the school on the results. Ridiculous!
Just give the schools more state money and do not add any new accountability measures! Trust your school to use the money wisely. We don’t need standard tests for each ISD. Those standardized tests pick winners and losers, and gives too much raw data to see how their local ISD fares against other areas. Too much pressure for school employees!
Shame on our senator! Do you even listen to the people you represent? No more testing! Who really thinks that testing kindergarten makes any logical sense? Shame! Shame!
Pay teachers and stop connecting everything to a test. Stop creating new tests. Ridiculous!
Thank you Dr. Jackson! Nothing like additional, meaningless testing in such a flawed system.