What the heck is TAKS Testing? (Plano, Canyon: apartment, house, buy)

[JMADS]

I'm also on the process of looking for elementary schools in the area. I want to warn you that some of the schools you have mentioned are not accepting transfers, some for specific grades, others not at all. I am not sure if that means that they are not accepting any new students, even if you do live within its boundaries. Just something to look into ... as if you don't have already enough on your mind! I know I do!
Perhaps somebody else knows more about this?!

[AGA]

As I understand it, if you live within the boundries, you HAVE to be accepted, but if you want to transfer in they do not have to take you. Much is based on the school capacity and if your school is already at its maximum # of students, they will not accept transfers in.

Attendance rates also factor in to the mix... And a school can have gold performace in a few areas and still not get "exemplary" or even recoginized status.
For 2008, my sons school is gold acknowledged for writing and science, but not math and reading or attendance. But the school is overall "recognized".
FYI 3rd grade reading TAKS, and 5th grade Math, Science, and Reading TAKS are all critical tests (If you don't pass, you don't promote to next grade) but some other TAKS tests are benchmarks and are not pass/fail. But bear in mind kids have 3 chances to pass the tests before they are considered "failed".

Just visit the schools, talk with the administrators and parents....you will get a gut feeling and put that together with the rankings and scores. You know what to do.
Oh, and just because it is a Exemplary school, does not mean it is a good fit for your family or your child.
I have friends in Eanes district and while they feel they get a good education in their particular school , the "social" climate for them is a little difficult!

[ATX Homeboy]

The TAKS test is a test of MINIMUM standards/skills a child should know about a specific subject.

In other words, some tests are scored PASSING if they score above a 55 or 65.

Does this even make sense? I mean its like giving a test to 1,000,000 kids and if they all make a 67 then they are considered smart? What a joke!

I think that's why TAKS is a four letter word.

[cabolissa]

A HUGE waste of time... If the schools in TX concentrated on teaching the subject instead of "teaching to the test", there would be a lot more subject matter retention, and real learning going on. I am starting to understand why so many people in TX have their kids in private schools (that includes friends in the RRISD, EISD, and PISD, by the way... Not just HISD.

[woodinvilleguy]

Originally Posted by alan777

What school do they go to and in what area?

What is Quest?

My daughter goes to Ruttledge Elementary in the Avery Ranch area. Next year we are slated to go to the new Ronald Reagan school which is already almost full before it has openned. Apparently, a lot of people are trying to transfer their kids to that school. Not sure if that is a good thing or not but we shall see.

Quest is an enrichment program for kids that qualify. They perform IQ tests to see whether or not they qualify. They are supposed to test each child in their first year of LISD school. Teachers can also recommend students for the program I believe. Better info is at: Leander Independent School District (http://www.leanderisd.org/default.aspx?name=acad.ss.adv.prog.quest - broken link)

PACE is advanced math

[txn8ive]

I'm sure you've figured it out by now but just wanted to add that TAKS is the same as OAKS.

QUEST stands for: Quality Utilization and Enrichment of Student Talents. It's a type of gifted-talented program that some school districts offer. It's a great way for kids to get a little more creative stimulation. Here's the link: QUEST - Home

PACE stands for: Programs for Advancement, Challenge and Enrichment and is an accelerated math program.

Kids have to qualify by testing and teacher recommendations to get in.

Good luck finding a school that meets your needs.

[chickenfry]

sites like great schools compares apples to oranges. to compare apples to apples, use just4kids.
standardized testing stinks, but it was instituted to measure TEACHERS. At the time, teachers had no "boards". if you graduated with an education degree, you could teach. there was no way of measuring if a person with an education degree could translate that into being able to communicate the curriculum to the students, after all what is a great teacher other than a great communicator?
TAKS is the second generation of this testing. the orginal was TAAS.

[BentBow]

My daughter is in the 5th grade. On her report cards she is getting good grades, but I notice with Math she is having a hard time when I help her with homework. The recent TAKS test revealed my worst fears. she failed the math by one question. How in the world can she get a good grade in school, but fail a needed test to pass her grade??

Now, it is my job to get her up to par, to pass the make up test. I see she doesn't know a lot of things needed, especially with fractions and decimals. It is like I'm going back to school and doing the job my taxes pay for, like my parents taxes did for me.

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by BentBow

My daughter is in the 5th grade. On her report cards she is getting good grades, but I notice with Math she is having a hard time when I help her with homework. The recent TAKS test revealed my worst fears. she failed the math by one question. How in the world can she get a good grade in school, but fail a needed test to pass her grade??

Now, it is my job to get her up to par, to pass the make up test. I see she doesn't know a lot of things needed, especially with fractions and decimals. It is like I'm going back to school and doing the job my taxes pay for, like my parents taxes did for me.

Well, that is what parents do! I pay taxes (fairly cheerfully) and I pay private school tuition but I still check my children's homework carefully, go over things that they don't understand, look for enrichment activities, find extra drills for skills where they are weak on-line, and order supplemental material for summer practice in math, handwriting, and reading.

Fractions and decimals can be confusing to some if the class is moving fast or if a key previous concept wasn't fully grasped. But that might not be apparent to the teacher with a classroom of kids to follow. Your daughter might have been hungry, anxious or distracted during the test. The question may have been poorly written or she may have mis-read the answer sheet.

Talk to the teacher, ask for her to get more help in math. There are some great summer math programs around. If those are too pricey, I'd recommend getting some Saxon math materials. They have been around forever, they sell to schools and the home-schooled market, so they have good supporting materials for parents, and they carefully drill and build on previous skills.

good luck!

[ATX Homeboy]

Originally Posted by BentBow

My daughter is in the 5th grade. On her report cards she is getting good grades, but I notice with Math she is having a hard time when I help her with homework. The recent TAKS test revealed my worst fears. she failed the math by one question. How in the world can she get a good grade in school, but fail a needed test to pass her grade??

Now, it is my job to get her up to par, to pass the make up test. I see she doesn't know a lot of things needed, especially with fractions and decimals. It is like I'm going back to school and doing the job my taxes pay for, like my parents taxes did for me.

I would never fully entrust the education of my child to another person whether I was paying them in taxes or tuition to a private school.

You are the first in line when it comes to educating your child. You should have been helping your child from the git-go. That is the bottom line.