Exit TAKS Retake Week

Believe it or not, this is a TAKS week. Yeah, we think of TAKS as being a fun (haha!) spring time festivity, but if you fail one or more of your Exit TAKS as a junior, you get to retake it and retake it and retake it until you pass . . . or give up.

Yesterday was a big day for me and the first period class I teach - 21 great kids who are seniors and need to pass their Science Exit. We've been learning content, going to lab twice a week and doing practice TAKS problems. They have done everything I've asked of them, and they have exceeded my expectations. This is a group of kids who want to learn what they need to learn so they can graduate. Thursday was their Science Exit TAKS retake day. Tuesday was ELA, Wednesday was Math, and Friday is Social Studies.

I believe in these kids. I met them at the door of their testing room and gave them high fives and words of encouragement. We had a last minute review out in the hall of test taking strategies, and a few of them had one last question for me on content.

I met several of them later in the day as they left the testing room and they were smiling at me, telling me they thought they did great. I sure hope so.

TAKS is really not all that easy for many kids - particularly kids in poverty. We are all dreading next year when our freshmen have to start passing the first four of twelve end of course exams to graduate. But, we are preparing. We are not going to let our kids down. We are not going to let them let themselves down.

If you assume TAKS is easy or that the cut score is too low, take a few of them online at this link. The dreaded TPM is not an issue with Exit TAKS. Either you pass them and graduate, or you don't. There is no credit for "growth."

We get our results back the first week in December. Fingers crossed. Graduation is at stake.