What You Know About TAKS

Got your Number 2 pencil sharpened in your backpack?

TAKS week has finally arrived.

The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

This is that epic test that puts a chill in the air, even though its almost May. A chill, because school children face dire consequences if they fail to pass the test: they get held back. Because they don't graduate if they fail any 11th grade test. Because teachers not only have to sit through countless hours proctoring the test, but all manner of harm comes down on Texas teachers if their students do poorly. Because Texas’ school rating system doesn’t rate schools based on how well they teach, but based on how well their students do on TAKS

In other words, it’s all about some misguided attempt at accountability.

If your neighbor’s dog bites you in the leg on your evening walk, you don’t blame the dog, do you? You blame the neighbor. That’s logical. But it doesn’t work all the time. If a dentist has clients with bad teeth because they don’t brush, you don’t blame the dentist, do you?

But the real reason for this posting today is, really, a bit of public service. Because the consequences of failure are so dire for everyone involved, I want to pass on some helpful hints on passing TAKS. It’s in this You Tube video that was made a year ago that someone hipped me to today.

What YOU know about TAKS?