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TEXAS CLASSROOM TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Public school accountability, testing talks strike a chord with teachers

(AUSTIN) — Early voting has begun in Texas, and educators have the opportunity to have their voices heard at the state and national levels in regard to public school accountability and high-stakes testing. Educators have reacted strongly at recent political rallies when the topic of high stakes testing is raised. Coincidentally, the state’s Select Committee on Public School Accountability met for the first time this week, and the Texas Classroom Teachers Association (TCTA) provided committee members with a list of guidelines that many educators have tried to convince state and national leaders to consider when redesigning the accountability system.

Texas educators have spent many years working under an accountability system tied closely to student test scores. As a result of the ever-changing testing standards and far-reaching impact of accountability, the current Texas public school education model has produced some unintended consequences for teachers and students. TCTA believes accountability policies are over-invested in testing and sanctions and under-invested in the support for human capital required to meet the targets set by the state and national accountability systems.

“We believe there should be strategies and support in place to realistically make goals attainable,” said TCTA Director of Professional Development and Advocacy Holly Eaton. “Supports like meaningful and relevant professional development for teachers, specialists who can assist teachers in moving kids forward, small learning environments, safer and more disciplined school environments, and better working and learning conditions for teachers and students are critical to reaching goals. Without this supportive infrastructure, an accountability system that places unrealistic demands on schools will ultimately be a house of cards, collapsing under its own weight.”

At the Select Committee’s meeting, TCTA also highlighted the need to strike a balance in developing standards that help students and schools to stretch academically, but are not so high as to be unattainable. Other TCTA-proposed guidelines include the following:

  • Ensure accountability measures are scientifically research-based and validated for that particular use
  • Design a system that is adaptable
  • Design a more nuanced and understandable rating system
  • Encourage schools to engage in certain desired behaviors
  • Design a system that gives more consideration to criteria other than testing
  • Give districts credit for adhering to class-size caps, reducing teacher turnover, eliminating assignment of teachers to subjects for which they are not certified, and recovering dropouts
  • Reduce the expenditures of time and money associated with testing

“Texas has been at the forefront of testing standards and accountability ratings for a number of years,” said Eaton. “We view all the discussions now underway at the state and national levels as an opportunity for our state to again be a leader in recognizing the inherent problems in the accountability system and developing educator-led solutions.”

CONTACT: Kristina Tirloni, (512) 477-9415