As students prepare to take the TAKS test this month, school officials are optimistic that the scores will be high based on scores from the third graders who took the TAKS reading test earlier this year. Third graders in both Aldine ISD and Houston ISD made strong gains on the TAKS reading test, with passing rates up over last year even though passing the test was harder.
Ninety percent of AISD third graders met the TAKS standard in English this year, up from 87 percent last year, and 89 percent of Spanish-speaking students passed, down from 91% last year.
The percentage of AISD student earning the highest mark of commended increased to 26 percent on the English test, up from 17 percent last year, and the commended rate on the Spanish test soared up to 30 percent, up from 18 percent last year.
Seventeen AISD schools had 90 percent or more of third graders who passed the English test. They are: Anderson, Bethune, Black, Carmichael, Conley, Francis, Goodman, Gray, Harris, Magrill, Mendel, Odom, Oleson (99%), Orange Grove, Sammons, Stephens, and Worshams (99%).
Fourteen AISD schools had 90 percent or more of third graders who passed the Spanish test. They are Aldine, Bethune, Carmichael, Carter, Goodman, Gray, Johnson, Odom, Oleson, Orange Grove, Sammons, Smith, Thompson, and Worsham.
Eighty seven percent of HISD third graders met the TAKS standard in English this year, up from 84 percent last year, and 88 percent of Spanish-speaking students passed, up from 85 percent last year. HISD tested 10,380 third graders in English and 5,188 students in Spanish.
The percentage of HISD student earning the highest mark of commended soared to 31 percent on the English test, up from 19 percent last year, and up to 32 percent on the Spanish test, up from 19 percent last year.
Our third graders made strong progress and we are very proud them, Superintendent Kaye Stripling said. It was harder to pass the TAKS test this year, and yet HISD schools still saw strong gains. Our teachers, our parents and most importantly, our children, deserve congratulations for their hard work.”
HISDs Spanish-speaking students scored better than the state average, while students taking the test in English were four points under the state average. HISDs Spanish Language students beat the state average passing rate by five points (88 percent passing rate tor HISD compared with 83 percent for the state as a whole).
HlSDs progress was better than the state of Texas as a whole. The state average passing rate rose two percent, compared to three percent at HISD, and the percentage of students statewide achieving the highest commended rating.