Should we end all public school accountability systems?

Robert Pratt photo Copyright Pratt on Texas

Robert Pratt

Julie Chang with  the Austin American-Statesman reports: “Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill that continues for two more years a policy that allows high school students to graduate even if they fail up to two state standardized tests.

“A high school senior who has failed up to two end-of-course State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness but has passed all classes and fulfilled other requirements can graduate as long as a committee made up of the student’s teacher, principal and parents gives unanimous consent.

“Students otherwise must pass five end-of-course STAAR exams to graduate.

‘Senate Bill 463 which Abbott quietly signed into law on Friday would allow the use of high school graduation committees until 2019.”

The bill came from Kel Seliger, liberal Republican state senator from Amarillo, and originally made the policy permanent. Seliger is no conservative, he’s generally an advocate for local taxing entities but you can’t blame only him for the bill passing, most Republicans joined in as did Governor Abbott by signing it.

It all begs this question: Why don’t we just get rid of all school accountability systems?

Certainly the legislative trend has been to water such down until there is little effectiveness and all of this ignores the history of why we put strong systems into place.

Our history proved beyond all doubt that public school bureaucracies, no matter what you think of individual teachers, would take our money in ever-increasing amounts, and yet pass through and hand out diplomas to tens of thousands who had not mastered even the basics required to hold a job.

Share Pratt on Texas

Speak Your Mind

*

© Pratt on Texas / Perstruo Texas, Inc.