BISD gearing up for change in state test
Waco Tribune
Cassie Smith
October 4, 2011
The Bryan school district is working quickly to get a grasp of the requirements for the state's new standardized tests so that students can be prepared for the changes, the district's superintendent told school board members Monday.
"In essence ... if we don't get something in place relatively soon, we're doing to students what [the Texas Education Agency] does to us," Thomas Wallis said.
The first year of the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness assessments comes with several questions for the districts to answer, including how the test will factor into students' grade point averages and class rank.
"This is another example of school districts having to fly by the seat of their pants and adjust on the run because we don't know the rules of the game when the game's already started," Wallis said.
The STAAR test replaces the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exam and counts for 15 percent of the students' final grade in that course.
Wallis said the new test is expected to be more difficult than the TAKS, and the district is working to ensure teachers and students are ready. For the first time, the state's standardized testing will have a time limit: four hours.
"That's going to be a mind shift for a lot of people, because the STAAR test is going to be so much more rigorous," Wallis said. "Our kids have been accustomed for years to take their time. We tell them, 'Don't rush.'"
Lucy Larrison, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, said staff members will make a recommendation to the school board soon regarding unanswered questions surrounding the test. She said Bryan has a committee that has been communicating with other school districts to help identify an appropriate policy.
"It's a much more complex issue than what it appears on the surface," she said.
Also at Monday's meeting, the school board discussed placing advertisements on school buses.
Amy Drozd, Bryan's chief financial officer, said district officials have met with staff members of the College Station school district and have been contacted by Steep Creek Media, the Houston-based company running its program.
"They're real excited. We're interested in looking at their contract as well," she said.
Chuck Glenewinkel, a spokesman for the College Station school district, said the district received its first check, for more than $6,400, from Steep Creek Media on Monday for the first month of advertising. The district receives 60 percent of the revenue generated from the bus ads while Steep Creek Media keeps 40 percent.
The district has ads on more than 30 of its 37 regular bus routes, and Glenewinkel said the ads are expected to generate about $44,000 for the school year.
"It doesn't cost the district any additional overhead, and any revenue we generate is pure revenue," he said.
Glenewinkel said the district's only role is approving the ads before they're placed on a school bus.
"You won't see anything that wouldn't necessarily be appropriate for school-age children on any of our school buses," he said.
State regulations allow for two small ads near the rear of the bus above the windows on each side, and a larger ad above the rear wheels on the driver's side.
Drozd said Bryan staff members will meet with Steep Creek Media to discuss options before bringing back information to the school board for consideration.