TESTING
The testing program for secondary schools
consists of standardized national norm-referenced English
achievement tests; state-mandated academic skills tests
required for students in grades 7-10 and a graduation (exit)
level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS);
semester final examinations, language proficiency measures;
and screening instruments for the Talented and Gifted Program.
Diagnostic measures may also be administered to students
in Grades 7-11 to ascertain mastery of reading and mathematics
skills and concepts addressed by TAKS skills/objectives.
All special education students are required to take either
the TAAS/TAKS or an alternative assessment, unless specially
exempted from these assessments by the ARD committee.
Plese ask your school principal, dean, counselor
or test coordinator about specific test dates for the school
year.
EXIT-LEVEL TEST FOR GRADUATION
Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year,
students who were enrolled in Grade 8 or below on Jan.
1, 2001 (2000-01), must fulfill testing requirements for
graduation with the Grade 11 exit level Texas Assessment
of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) tests. A student may
not receive a high school diploma until the student has
performed
satisfactorily on the secondary exit-level instruments
for English language arts, mathematics, science, and social
studies. The English/Language Arts section of the TAKS
will be administered in February. The mathematics,
science, and social studies sections will be administered
in April. The English language arts segment of
the exam will cover content through English III, as well
as writing; mathematics will cover concepts through Algebra
I and geometry; social studies will cover concepts through
U.S. History, including correlates from world geography
and world history; and science will cover concepts through
biology, and integrated physics and chemistry (IPC).
TAKS
In 2003, Texas implemented a new test, the
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), in grades
3 through 11, to replace the Texas Assessment of Academic
Skills (TAAS).
TAKS is a standards-based test, which means
it measures how well students are mastering specific skills
defined for each grade by the state of Texas.
The goal is that 100% of students pass the TAKS at each
grade level. Students in the graduating classes of 2003
and 2004 must pass the Exit TAAS in order to graduate from
high school while students in succeeding classes must pass
the Exit TAKS.
ACT The
ACT is designed to assess high school students' general
educational development and their ability to complete college-level
work. The tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics,
reading, and science.
The ACT is one of the most widely accepted college entrance
exams. It is recommended that graduating seniors take
the ACT. Students may take the ACT Assessment as often
as they
wish but only once per national test date. Many students
take the test twice, once as a junior and again as a
senior.
In the 50 United States, the ACT Assessment is administered
on five national test dates: in October, December, February,
April, and June. In selected states, the ACT Assessment
is also offered in late September.
Contact your a TJHS counselor for more information and
test dates.
Check out this web site for
frequently asked questions about ACT: www.act.org
SAT
The SAT test is an admission requirement
of many colleges because it is a standard way of measuring
a student's ability to do college-level work. Like the
ACT, it is recommended that graduating seniors take the
test.
Because courses and grading standards vary widely from
school to school, scores on standardized tests, like the
SAT I, help colleges compare your academic achievements
with those of students from different schools.
Remember, too, that colleges look at other things when
making admission decisions -- like your high school record,
essays, recommendations, interviews, and extracurricular
activities. Your SAT I test score is just one of many tools
that help colleges make admission decisions.
Contact your a TJHS counselor for more information and
test dates.
Check out this web site for
frequently asked questions about SAT: www.collegeboard.com
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