Southeast Texas P-16 Council

In this last full year of TAKS testing, passing rates on every single Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test at every grade improved dramatically since 2003 when the exams were first given, according to preliminary results released today by the Texas Education Agency.

This substantial improvement occurred even as the passing requirements increased over
the life of the testing program and as results on TAKS (Accommodated), a test given to some special education students, were included in the calculations in later years.This year, passing rates on 23 of the 27 subject area tests given in English were in the 80 to 99 percent range.

“We’re very proud of the academic growth Texas students have shown during the TAKS era. TAKS, along with increasing curriculum standards and a focus on college readiness, pushed our students to new performance levels,” Commissioner of Education Robert Scott said.

The 2010-2011 school year marks the last full year of TAKS testing. Beginning next school year, students in grades 3-9 will take the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™). Following the Texas tradition of continually increasing academic standards, STAAR will be a more rigorous testing program than its predecessor.

Students currently in 9th, 10th and 11th grades will continue to take TAKS to meet their
graduation requirements. Subsequent classes must pass STAAR end-of-course exams to fulfill their graduation requirements.
MORE (scores by grades etc.)

The Texas high school on-time graduation rate for the Class of 2010 soared to84.3 percent, the highest rate posted during the TAKS-testing era and an increase of 3.7 percentage points over the previous year.

Each of the state’s four major ethnic groups showed strong gains. Rates for AfricanAmerican and Hispanic students increased five percentage points or more over the past year.

Graduation rates for African-American students rose from 73.8 percent for the Class of 2009 to 78.8 percent for the Class of 2010.

Hispanic students’ graduation rates were 73.5 percent in 2009, climbing to 78.8 percent for the Class of 2010. Graduation rates for white and Asian students surpassed the 90 percent mark with the rate for white students at 91.6 percent while Asian/Pacific Islander students earned the highest rate at 93.8 percent.

“Texas continues to see improvements in public education as we work to strengthen accountability and raise standards in our schools,” said Gov. Rick Perry. “I am incredibly proud of this recent achievement, a true testament to the excellent educators that we have in our classrooms and the principled leadership that guides our state. I am confident we will continue to see remarkable progress in our schools that will sustain our educated workforce and build a stronger, more prosperous Texas.”

“Our students are staying in school, accepting the challenge and meeting high achievement goals. It’s clear that our dedicated educators are providing students a strong foundation on which to build their future. We will continue to provide the tools necessary to maintain this outstanding progress,” said Commissioner of Education Robert Scott.

Graduation rates for local districts and schools will be available in late July.