April TAKS testing begins five weeks from today. My eye is on the Science TAKS, which will be administered on Thursday, April 28th to 5th, 8th, 10th and 11th graders. That same week, students in various grades (3rd through 11th) will take Math, Reading and Social Studies TAKS. The accountability ratings schools get this year will last for two years, while the state devises a new accountability system to go along with the new, more rigorous STAAR testing program. As you can imagine, schools have their total focus on TAKS right now, implementing all sort of interventions, remediations and TAKS prep to get more kids than ever before passing their TAKS tests and school accountability ratings up as high as possible.
I say total focus . . . you and I both know that teachers will be getting pink slips as reductions in force go into effect and positions are eliminated over the next month. TAKS time is always very stressful, with a lot of time put on the job, lots of data analysis, and very focused work with struggling students. We'll be doing it this year with as many as one in four teachers knowing they are about to be unemployed. We'll be doing it knowing our class loads will increase next year. We'll be doing it knowing we will have less support next year.
But, as always, kids will be our number one concern. This video pretty much sums up what that is all about:
Please support equitable and fully funded education in Texas. Our kids need all of us.
18 comments:
I think there will be fewer pink slips than people expect. My gut feeling is that there will be a greater decrease in positions through attrition -- we've heard how many positions our campus is supposed to lose, and realized that we are already within one based upon the number of teachers retiring and otherwise planning to leave. I don't like the fact that people are going to lose jobs -- and that there will be plenty of positions cut -- but I don't believe we will se a blood-letting nearly as dire as is being predicted.
Rhymes with Right? Aren't you a republican and a teacher? Why don't you show some *&^damn leadership and be the first to QUIT so another teacher with some common sense could stay?
I don't get you fat hypocrites. You call for tax cuts, demonize our government, but you are the first in line to suckle on the tit of the government.
You must be one of those greedy, money hungry, overhead, teachers that Perry talks about. You ought to quit.
Retiring early to keep their pension???? Leaving because the stress of not knowing if they have a job is too much to take after dedicating themselves to educating Texas youth??? The cuts in staff and teachers across Texas is going to be horrific and there is no other way to describe it. With the drop out rate as high as it is in Texas, the Ledge decides to cut funding for Education. Class sizes will go through the roof in most districts. New teachers who were fired up to teach our youth will not have their contracts renewed. This was all done so people could get a tax break on property and Texas children and the state will pay the ultimate price. Does anyone wonder why other countries are out stripping America in technology, green job creation and so many other things? I don't. They invest in their children and education.
Sure there will, RWR. How many of those retiring are prepared to do so? How many are being forced to do so? What's the net effect on the loss of an additional 300k jobs?
While the rest of the country begins to recover, we're about to worsen the economy dramatically and guarantee a bleak future.
Hoover and Andrew Mellon tried exactly what Texas is doing in 1930. It's what made the Great Depression so Great.
Honestly, I'm with anon. You should really consider being an example.
You should be Rhymes with Resign.
The cuts are worse than any ever seen. Every school in every district will be affected. Every student in Texas will be affected. So yes we will never completely recover and do not try to minimalize this devastating event.
To say education cuts will not be as bad as folks thought, one must be living in a fantasy world. The cuts have started in my school and several were unexpected. When all is said and done in Texas our educational system will be equal to that of third world countries.
As a veteran educator I have never seen anything like this. Imagine the ramifications of what these cuts will do. There will be a ripple effect along the way and as I have received notices of companies associated with education folding, this will just be the beginning. People better open their eyes because they may be next.
http://www.khou.com/news/local/HISD-budget-cuts-could-affect-dozens-of-schools-hundreds-of-jobs-118593334.html
This on top of all the cuts which have already been made, just in HISD. Who in the world is trying to defend the Gov. with all his crazy spin on how great the Texas economy is? Dallas has laid thousands off and just imagine we have weeks to go as more lay offs come.
Rhymes With Right
Go fly a kite
I'm extremely offended, Rhymes With Right. Over 30 teachers were notified they were laid off at my Houston area high school on Tuesday. It's been very, very grim all week. The teachers who were laid off are devastated. They are mostly new teachers who have put in long hours this year, as well as every ounce of their heart and soul, into ensuring economically disadvantaged kids are learning.
Not only is this affecting the many who were laid off, but the entire staff is hurting and on edge. It's very hard to see your colleagues so upset and left without many alternatives for employment. The staff that is left is wondering, "is this it? are the cuts over?" We don't know what the Republican controlled legislature will do in the end. Will the cuts be deeper?
Also, we have another group of teachers who are retiring and their jobs won't be replaced. This means we will work with our students with much less staff next year. We will lose a conference period. So, nobody be fooled. We will have many, many fewer teachers in Texas this fall, both because of layoffs and retirement, and we will teach a growing population of children in poverty.
This is the fault of Republicans who caused the structural deficits. We will be feeling the pain for many, many years to come, and a whole generation of Texas students will be adversely affected.
Rhymes with Right, be a man and quit your tax payer funded cushy little teaching job.
Go get a real job in the private sector created by your buddy rick perry. Maybe you can find a job flipping burgers.
I think I will make sure all the teachers in your school what you are thinking.
Rhymes--you must have missed the LBB estimates that we will have 500,000 fewer jobs than we otherwise would have if we cut the budget, And most will be education related.
Ive been researching teacher attrition since 1995 and normal attrition in TX runs about 10% per year, so around 33K to 35K teachers. I'm guessing 45-50K this year at the minimum.
Since you voted in those making the cuts, why dont you be first in line out the door?
Typical republican. Rhymes with Yellow tuck tail and ran. At least defend yourself you lousy sack of crap.
Rhymes with Dumbass, here is something you should read:
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/irving/headlines/20110124-irving-isd-a-step-closer-to-teacher-layoffs-to-balance-budget.ece
"Administrators said they didn’t think the district could achieve the cuts solely through attrition as they initially intended."
So they are laying off 280 first year teachers.
rhymes must be a coward just like his leader Rick Perry.
I stumbled on your blog. Is by chance this Rhymes with Right guy a teacher at Galena Park ISD? I think I know who this is.
You got a very good point about him resigning. he should. Personally I hope he gets laid off.
that guy is worthless! Kids would be better off without his fat ass. Have you ever read the filth on his blog? Why do they allow people like this to teach?
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