Tag: Blog

AUSTIN – More than three-quarters of the state’s fifth and eighth graders successfully passed the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) reading tests, according to preliminary results released today by the Texas Education Agency. The results reflect passing rates for the spring 2015 administration of STAAR in March.

Seventy-eight percent of fifth and eighth-grade students passed the STAAR reading test on their first attempt. The percentage of fifth graders passing STAAR reading on their first attempt has remained relatively stable over the past four years. In eighth grade, the percentage of students passing STAAR reading on their first attempt has seen a slight decline over the past four years.

Under state law, Texas students in grades 5 and 8 must pass the STAAR reading test to be promoted to the next grade. Those students who did not pass these exams have the opportunity to retake the tests in mid-May and will have a third opportunity in June. State law requires students who do not pass these tests to be retained in their current grade – unless a parent appeals the retention and a local, campus-based grade placement committee unanimously agrees to promote them.

To review STAAR state-level reports for all grades, visit the Texas Education Agency website at http://tea.texas.gov/staar/rpt/sum/.

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AUSTIN – Commissioner of Education Michael Williams announced today that the number of Texas graduates taking at least one Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) Exam during high school continued to grow, according to the Class of 2014 figures from the College Board.

Number/Percentage of Graduates

Who Took an AP Exam During High School

The College Board’s AP cohort data for the Class of 2014 also showed that Texas is the only state that achieved equitable participation for low-income students. Equitable participation is defined as the percentage of K-12 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (51.1 percent) in the state equaling the number of AP exam takers (51.0 percent). And while no state achieved equitable success (percentage of AP exam takers scoring a three or higher during high school), Texas students came the closest.

“As our state’s demographics have changed, our high expectations for every student in our public schools have not,” said Commissioner Williams. “The growing number of students tackling AP courses in all parts of our state is evidence to a commitment to that commitment.”

Just over twenty percent of Texas students (20.3 percent) in the Class of 2014 scored 3 or higher on an AP exam during high school, which was slightly below the national average (21.6 percent). The five most popular AP exams for the Texas Class of 2014 were English Language and Composition; United States History; World History; English Literature and Composition; and United State Government and Politics.

Research shows that students who succeed in rigorous course work, such as that offered by AP, are developing college-level knowledge and skills while still in high school. These students are more likely than their peers to earn college degrees on time, which gives them an opportunity to save significant amounts of money.

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Responding to growing calls to improve science, technology, math and engineering (STEM) education, increasing numbers of public and private schools are touting their specialized STEM programs, largely centered on special technology or a particular set of course offerings. While some of these programs may be of high quality, parents and community leaders should kick the tires of local STEM education initiatives to determine the extent to which these efforts are based on what research shows will increase STEM knowledge and problem-solving skills and, as a result, spark student engagement and interest in STEM careers.

In order to do this you need to look for a number of key factors, including the extent to which STEM efforts serve all students equally- and well. Do they encourage learning across disciplines; promote student inquiry and real-world problem solving; and connect students with people working in real STEM-related careers on campuses, in industry and in the community?

My organization, AdvancED, is in the business of measuring the quality of education institutions and their programs. Based on our work, we have developed standards and criteria for parents and community leaders to quickly gauge the quality of the STEM education programs in their community. You can use these questions — and the examples of schools that we have certified as being strong in STEM — to discuss with school leaders how they might strengthen their STEM offerings.

Here are some initial questions you can ask:

• Is the STEM learning program interdisciplinary and problem-based, encouraging deeper learning through real-world projects? In excellent STEM programs, students learn not just science, technology, engineering, and mathematical processes and practices but also across and beyond STEM disciplines. They develop competencies such as collaboration and communication skills necessary for success in college and career. Middleton Magnet High School in Tampa, Florida, for example, encourages an interdisciplinary approach by giving students project-based assignments on a regular and consistent basis where they have an opportunity to identify a problem, develop a solution, follow a process, and then design and market a product. In addition, students create and present project-based assignments outside of the traditional classroom that connect their learning to real-world applications. For example, students in Middleton’s Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) program designing a hotel for Tampa’s historic Ybor City. Students work in groups with their ACE mentors, who are engineers by profession.

• Are students required to demonstrate their work in authentic ways–through projects, plans, and presentations that mirror what they will be required to do in their careers and in further learning? Effective programs use performance-based assessments that demonstrate outcomes required for the next level of STEM learning and for post-secondary education and work. You may want to ask the extent to which students have multiple opportunities to present their STEM learning to a range of stakeholders within and outside of the school and to clarify, elaborate on, and defend their thinking and conclusions using verbal, symbolic, and visual means. For example, at Metro Early College High School in Columbus, Ohio students are afforded multiple and on-going opportunities to demonstrate their learning through formal and informal performance-based assessments. Gateway presentations, an example of authentic performance-based assessments, are required for upper level students who are ready to enroll in college courses and graduate from high school. These students must defend their level of preparedness to enroll in college and then, upon completion of the courses, defend their level of success to graduate. Adults assess students using clear measures of what defines different levels of performance.

• Are students working independently and collaboratively and learning the way scientists do–by asking questions that lead them to discovering solutions to authentic and complex problems? Inquiry lies at the heart of STEM, and schools need to ensure that students have learning experiences focus on real world, locally relevant, complex, open-ended problems that require problem identification, investigation, and analysis. In excellent STEM programs, creative problem solving is highly valued and encouraged, and students have multiple opportunities to work independently and collaboratively to solve problems. At Logan High School in Logan, Ohio advanced classes in biomedicine allow students to explore science in action, take on the role of biomedical professionals, and investigate real-world medical problems. Students study the effects of outside stimuli on the body’s blood pressure and work collaboratively using data acquisition software to monitor body functions, including respiration and blood pressure, in a variety of settings.

• Does the STEM learning program have actively engaged business and industry partners, as well as local colleges and universities, community organizations, and families? Effective programs break through the schoolhouse walls to invite professionals, academics and others who can be supportive of teachers and students. In effective programs, students participate in formal programs of mentorship, apprenticeship, internships, research, or job shadowing with researchers, business/industry, or other community partners. Mount Lebanon Elementary School in Anderson, South Carolina parlays its location near Clemson University and the Tri-County Technical College to provide on-site mentorships and job shadowing to its students in grades 3-5. Clemson’s Mechanical Engineering Department senior-level students work side by side with Mount Lebanon’s elementary-age students to design, develop and produce products such as a wind tunnel for the school’s use in the STEM lab.Pat Forrester, an astronaut on loan from NASA to Clemson, frequently speaks to students about STEM careers and math/science integration. Community, post-secondary, business/industry partners, and families actively support and are engaged with teachers and students in the STEM program.

• Does the school go out of its way to support participation by minority students and girls and other groups that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM programs? Effective schools and programs have a STEM outreach plan with measurable goals to significantly increase enrollment, support, and retention of students from under-represented groups and can demonstrate progress meeting such goals. Ask about what types of things the school does routinely and systematically to support and retain students from under-represented groups. At W.J. Keenan High School in Columbia, South Carolina the majority of the school is comprised mostly of minority students and students from low-income families. However, the school ensures that all students who are interested in STEM have an equal opportunity to enroll and succeed in this program. Half of the slots in Project REAL (Raider Engineering and Academic Leadership) are reserved for female students. To further promote female students’ interest in pursuing STEM, Keenan has set an equal number of slots for male and females in its freshman engineering program. In order to extend their reach beyond its walls, students with the Project REAL program provide mentorship to other students through programs such as the FIRST Lego League, both within the Richland One District as well as rural areas outside of the district.

• Does the program ensure that teachers and school leaders themselves become STEM learners to become more effective in leading STEM programs? Quality programs don’t stop with students. All STEM educators need opportunities to stay current about practices in the STEM world through professional learning. See the extent to which STEM educators in the school have ongoing opportunities to expand their proficiency in the use of technology and whether teachers have daily common planning time to collaborate and discuss integrated STEM curricular and instructional practices. Lower Richland High School in Columbia, South Carolina, uses a train the trainer model to provide its teachers job-embedded professional development for STEM-related instruction such as scientific inquiry, problem-based learning, project-based learning, engineering, soft skills, the use of technology, and the integration of STEM skills across the curriculum. Professional development for staff members is provided through partnerships with EngenuitySC and the University of South Carolina Professional Development School initiative, and the Richland One School District ensures that STEM-specific professional development is offered to educators on “Technology Thursdays”.

These questions are based on specific indicators AdvancED uses to certify effective STEM programs, a process conducted by teams of expert reviewers who visit schools with these programs. Our determination of effectiveness is based on analysis of evidence, data and information, interviews with school officials and stakeholders, and examination of student engagement through classroom observations. We also have posted a series of articles by STEM experts and education leaders in our online publication, The Source, providing additional ideas about what makes for quality STEM programs if you want to learn more.

Quality in STEM institutions is measurable and can be recognized by looking at essential indicators attributed to an effective program. Parents and community leaders should not take at face value any claims to quality. The entire community has a crucial role to play in determining whether their schools make the grade when it comes to STEM and in collaborating with STEM educators to make programs even more effective.