Page 4/The Battalion/Friday, December 6,1985
Some juniors say tesfs 'too easy'
Results of exit test promising
Associated Press
Juniors across Texas who took a
skills test they must eventually pass if
they want a high school diploma ap
parently fared better than predicted
in the first try, with some of the stu
dents saying the test was almost “too
easy.”
Although statewide totals are not
expected to be released until Friday,
and then only partial returns, an in
formal survey of Texas school dis
tricts Thursday showed 80 percent
to 100 percent of juniors passing the
test.
The exam is designed to measure
minimum competency in basic math
ematics and English, and must be
passed by all would-be 1987 grad
uates.
Dr. William Kirby, state education
commissioner, had estimated that 75
percent would be a realistic number
for students passing the exam on the
first try.
“I think it shows that students can
do the work if they are motivated,”
said Linus Wright, superintendent
of the Dallas school district.
The students topped the pre
dicted passage rate, said Port Arthur
school board president A1 Dugan,
“simply because the teachers did
their job — they took the bull by the
horns.”
Statewide the results of the Texas
Educational Assessment of Mini
mum Skills, or TEAMS test, were
viewed as an important benchmark
for measuring the quality of educa
tion. The graduation test is part of
the sweeping reforms approved by
the Texas Legislature in 1984.
Dallas saw about 80 percent of the
students taking the test pass the
math portion, and about 83 percent
pass the language arts portion —bet
ter than the two-thirds rate some
school officials had predicted ear
lier.
In Highland Park, 100 percent Of
the students ivho took the test passed
both parts.
Amarillo repoi ted a 92 pen ent on
the language aits, and a 90 percent
on math, in El Paso, 89 percent o(
the juniors passed the math portion
and 90 percent the language arts
portion.
In Port Arthur, 79 percent of the
juniors taking the mathematics por
tion of the test passed, and 80 per
cent mastered the language arts sec
tion.
San Antonio reported that only
one of eight school districts fell be
low the predicted 75 percent.
The state education board set 50
percent as the minimum passing
grade for mathematics and 62.5 per
cent for lanugage arts for 1985-
1986.
Keith Cruse, director of the Texas
Education Agency-administered
tests, attributed liigher-than-ex-
pected scores to school district's pre
paration of students - < i am com ses
ranging from distribution of sample
tests to tutoring.
But some administrators and sue
dents said the high marks rairie be
cause the test was too simple.
"1 don't think it was anything that
any 11th grade student couldn’t do.
said Reggie Parmer, a Bay ( ity high
school student, after taking the test
in October.
The test was given Oct. 1 and 2 to
an estimated 200,01)0 llth-graders
statewide. Juniors who failed can
take the test again this spring and
two more times their senior year if
necessary to pass. Without it. they
won't graduate from high school.
Many administrators Said they
took special steps to prepare their
students for the test but that the re
sults are even more valuable in find
ing and helping students who need
an extra boost to graduate.
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