The school board of the Katy, Texas, Independent School District voted unanimously to eliminate high-stakes testing.
This is a bold and dramatic step in a state that inflicted the “miracle” of high-stakes testing on the nation. Up until now, Pearson and its stable of lobbyists have called the shots.
The Katy school board has bravely demanded a return to common sense and real education, where tests are diagnostic and used to help students, not to label them. I place the Katy, Texas, school board on this blog’s honor roll.
“The Board resolution also calls for state-funded local assessments in lieu of the high-stakes tests. Such local assessments would provide detailed diagnostics that could assist students in their learning. However, these assessments would not be considered high-stakes, nor have any bearing on accountability ratings.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
This Board of Education is standing up for the Students and their Teachers. This is fantastic. Far too many times I hear it is the law and we can’t do anything about. That is bull. This Board of Education is taking local control. That is why they were voted into office. Do right for kids. Not the politicians. Not the big corporates. Not for the US Department of Education. FOR THE KIDS.
I am very curious to see how this manifest.
Me too. I think it’s great but is it legal? Can they just do that?
Good. Now, let’s begin the process to impeach Cuomo.
Amen to that!
Impeachment is probably too good of process. He needs to go the way of Jimmy Hoffa….just disappear one day never to be heard of again…:-)
Remember if there aren’t enough students who take the test, the scores can’t be used against the teacher, so opt out New York .
I am so glad to read this.
I can get so down worrying about the trends of late. This gives me a glimmer of hope!
Wow! More local boards of education need to be doing this. I have read in the news that more local boards are beginning to fight back. They need to begin fighting back. It would be a shame for local boards to no longer have control of their school system. It gives me hope to read articles like this. Thank you!
woo hoo – great news!
Now the question is will Texas and other states start passing laws forbidding school boards from doing this?
Probably what Lieutenant Dan will suggest.
I highly doubt it.
Well…we all need to do a better “close reading” (sorry! 😉 of the press release. The Katy schoolboard voted to tell the legislature to vote for the proposed anit-high stake testing legislation….they say in their resolution that they can’t stop the state testing or the NCLB-mandated testing….So it’s a great resolution to tell the legislators how to vote, but they admit they have no power to stop the testing….Unless, of course, they decided to be conscientious objectors! (Whose ranks are growing….)
Good catch. More mealy-mouthed, “gee, we sure would like less testing, pretty please”. I’m still waiting for any superintendent and/or school board to put his/her/their behind on the same line that many brave teachers have already and refuse the tests.
Mr. Frailey (superintendent of Katy ISD) is currently the president of Texas Association of School Administrators – he is part of the problem. This is a meaningless resolution in fact, possibly a pre May election gimmick. As a parent of Katy ISD students, they testing and stress of testing has increased on my kids since the 2012 resolution – and I am pretty sure this is going to about nothing
celiaoyler – do you mind if I post your response on a facebook page? The 1Katy PAC with almost $24,000 left over from pushing a bond through Katy ISD is currently running press releases, advertisement and media ads – (in fact this blog was sited on the press release) to campaign for the 2 incumbents on the school board – it is a meaningless resolution and it is frustrating that is being lauded as a great and wonderful thing. They passed one in 2012 too (here is a shocker – about the same time, March 26th 2012, before another board race)
I hope other communities can prevail to reduce or eliminate more high stakes testing. Here in Florida I have heard some parents ready to accept vouchers to a private school because the public schools are “nothing but endless test prep and tests.” This is another ploy of the privateers. If they frustrate public parents and children enough in public schools, they will look for and accept alternatives. Florida, of course, has many of them including a virtual school, remnants of Jeb Bush’s reign.
I remember them (you know who) saying over and over again, “That ship has sailed” meaning we can’t go back on all the reform…well that ship may have sailed but the tides are surely and forcefully turning against said ship!
If you read the actual resolution, they are actually just supporting the legislature in their efforts to eliminate high stakes testing. The district itself says they cannot stop the testing because of mandates… it’s still a positive step, but they are not eliminating the tests… the headline is misleading.
Bravo now if only other school districts would stand up! =)
These testing is a joke here in farwell,tx
There are a slew of bills at capital hill in Austin that are extremely damaging to educators and public schools. We really could use some help in getting the word out, NY and Chicago get most of the attention while we are drowning in a sea of red:(
Thanks for your time. Jackie lousier 8th grade math teacher Sent from my iPhone
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They can try but it won’t work. This is a federal law and all schools are required to give the test. As a teacher I have researched all the laws as part of doctoral classes and there is no way around the tests. It is a requirement for graduation and you can’t bypass it.
What I think is funny is I live in Katy and this has had no media coverage whatsoever. I didn’t even know it was happening until I read it here.
not to be too negative – but Katy ISD passed a resolution in 2012 about over testing – and then promptly added DLA tests for grades 2-12. 7th graders took 9 additional “secure tests” over this school year. This appears to be more likely related to the Board of trustee elections in May
I am having trouble finding the name of the actual Federal Program that mandates this testing. Is it “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)”?
Dave, that is right: NCLB
BRAVO for KISD! Leaders always step out front while others wait and watch to see what will happen. Hopefully many other school districts will follow.
It starts with one parent, one school, one district…hopefully the whole state will catch up!
Like they tried in 2012 (see below) – since this resolution, Katy ISD has added DLAs for grades 2-12 as many as 9 extra tests plus pre and post testing days- so instead of decreasing testing -they have increased it.
“Whereas, we do not oppose accountability in public schools and we point with pride to the performance of our students, but believe that the system of the past will not prepare our students to lead in the future and neither will the standardized tests that so dominate their instructional time and block our ability to make progress toward a world-class education system of student-centered schools and future-ready students; Therefore, it is resolved that the Katy ISD Board of Trustees calls on the Texas Legislature to reexamine the public school accountability system in Texas and to develop a system that encompasses multiple assessments, reflects greater validity, uses more cost efficient sampling techniques and other external evaluation arrangements, and more accurately reflects what students know, appreciate and can do in terms of the rigorous standards essential to their success, enhances the role of teachers as designers, guides to instruction and leaders, and nurtures the sense of inquiry and love of learning in all students.
Passed and approved this 26th day of March, 2012.”
Hurray for you, Katy School Board!
The students are so lucky to have you acting in their best interest!
Reblogged this on To Talk of Many Things and commented:
Hoping Katy ISD starts a trend!
Alright! Where are the other districts braver enough to vote for our children and against the tests ?????? Who will be next to stand up for children’s right to a good education without stress tests???? Let’s all stand up for our kids
I’m behind them for coming up with testing that helps the student not hurt them. One kind of test doesn’t fit all.
I can only hope it is not just a lot of pre-election rhetoric! Our Kids and grandkids certainly deserve to be number one in education! Make decisions that will better our education and enable our kids to be the good students they can be!! Test on what you teach in the classrooms everyday, that is the only way you can help the students who are not learning and challenge those who are.
This was a meaningless gesture to try to gain votes for May school board elections. The KISD board, if you read the resolution fully, didn’t actually CHANGE anything. They are still taking valuable instruction time away from students to bow down to Pearson testing and other big education lobbyists.
They put students first! What a novel idea in these times.
Do your homework before posting. This is not true. Pre-election gimmick. I live in Katy and even the board said they have no real power to implement this. I am all for eliminating the testing but as long as our current board is in place, it will not happen.
I’m sorry to say that there’s not much the KISD school board can do but state they are opposed to high stakes testing. The state holds all the cards when it comes to the funding of schools. Our local tax rate is already extremely high, so we couldn’t pull out of state funding to avoid high stakes testing. The legislature is controlled by Pearson and other big interest groups. Some of the so called reform groups have advisors like Joel Klein. They have board members such Rod Paige. These groups have gotten bills into committees that will allow wholesale take over of districts and turn them into charters. There is a bill that has already passed the house that would tie teacher appraisals to the STAAR test. Strip all teacher pay down to a little over $27,000 a year, regardless of years of service, even current teachers. The bill would also eliminate the step pay scale. There are many more idiotic bills waiting to go to committee this session. I guess that’s what we get for having a part time legislature in Texas.
I misspoke in the above post. The bill has passed in the Texas senate.
What will happen to good teachers? They will leave, something needs to change!.
This blog is being used in campaign ads in Katy ISD – and it has a deceptive title – all they did was pass something telling legislators how to vote – that is all. It is a meaningless resolution similar to the 2012 resolution the board also passed. PLEASE edit the title of this blog. They did not vote to eliminate ANYTHING – all Katy ISD is currently worried about is keeping the incumbents in their current seats for the May election. Not only has Katy ISD done nothing about these types of tests, beginning in the 2013 school year and continuing now, they began giving students grades 2 and up District Level Assessments – which are basically benchmarks with a different name.
And the DLA’s are a nightmare. Some campuses (like my children’s) take that “diagnostic” score and record it straight in the gradebook. That means a student scoring 45% on a ridiculously inappropriate test for his developmental level gets a test score of 45 and fails the class. In 2nd and 3rd grade. Meanwhile other campuses in the district allow their teachers to curve the recorded grades for these assessments, partly based on whether certain questions are confusing or missed by all students. There is no uniform policy on how these should be recorded as grades, when in fact they shouldn’t be recorded at all.