PART 8: TEA’s “Harder” 2000 TAAA Test Boomerangs; “Celebrity Jeopardy” Actual Questions Sabotage TEA’s Credibility

By George Scott

Project Director, Academic Equity Advocates

You will need to access the first link immediately below the opening paragraphs to access the pdf of Part 8 of this series.

The TEA announced in the 1999-2000 testing cycle, the rigor of its TAAS test would be increased starting in the fall. However, the TEA assured school districts that no fewer students would fail the test because passing standards would be reduced accordingly.

With Texas Governor George Bush pursuing the U.S. Presidency, the TEA was mocked by sending the “education governor” on the campaign trail with a harder test but reduced standards.

Fortunately for history and the equivalent of self-injected truth serum, the TEA actually administered the ‘harder’ test in the fall before scuttling and returning the to easier test in the spring’s primary administration. You will have access to analysis of the harder versus easier tests in 199-2000.

The result of this self-imposed, organizational fiasco, researchers took a look at what TEA called ‘harder’ versus easier. Dramatic foreshadowing of what was to come could not have been more dramatic.

The second component of PART 8 is to show actual questions from TAAS across grade levels. Plus, we have a little ‘mocking fun’ with some of the end of course biology questions. You’ll have access to a mocking “Celebrity Jeopardy” report showing even more questions as they actually appeared. This treatment shows the grade level of the question as it was tested on TAAS AND the assessment of actual grade level in a book authored by William Bennett and Chester Finn – An Educated Child. Bennett served as Secretary of Education and Finn led the prestigious Fordham Foundation.

Part 8 should end any discussion that the TEA did not manipulate grade level integrity during the TAAS era.

PART 8: TEA’s “Harder” 2000 TAAA Test Boomerangs; “Celebrity Jeopardy” Actual Questions Sabotage TEA’s Credibility

Here are some links to support documents from our External Reports page that are meaningful to this Part 6 presentation.

TEA’s “Harder” Versus “Easier” 10^th Grade TAAS Exit Test Required for Graduation

A “Celebrity Jeopardy” Analysis of TAAS Math Testing & End of Course Biology