Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine | Page 13

What ’ s Going On In Texas Education ?

We all know that Texas is a vast and diverse state filled with people from all backgrounds and cultures . I ’ ve come to learn in my time as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee that the subject matter included under the umbrella of education policy matches our state in its vastness and diversity .
Texas has 1,227 school districts ( including charter schools ), with 29 % of all Texas ’ 5.1 million students enrolled in the18 largest districts . Conversely , 676 districts have fewer than 1,000 students and 821 districts have fewer than 1,600 students .
The population of public school students in Texas would make it the 23rd largest state in the U . S . That ’ s larger than the total populations of states like Alabama , South Carolina , Louisiana , Kentucky , Oregon , and Oklahoma .
So far this interim , the Senate Education Committee has met three times and will meet four more times , twice in August and twice in September , for hearings on the various charges given to us by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick .
These charges include everything from inappropriate teacher-student relationships to quality teacher preparation . We ’ re also looking at charter schools , broadband access in schools and student homes , school choice , and the question of how to increase efficiency and productivity in schools . In addition we ’ ll study the two remaining county school systems in Texas ( Harris and Dallas Counties ), school board governance , state interventions in low performing schools , and the implementation of the high quality pre-k program from last session ’ s House Bill 4 .
From these hearings will emerge ideas for legislation to be filed during the 85th Legislative Session , beginning in January . Personally , I ’ ll focus on ways to incorporate more 21st century technology and learning methods into our classrooms while supporting our teachers with the professional development they need to succeed .
One particular legislative priority I look forward to working on is the P-TECH ( Pathways in Technology Early College High School ) school model . Depending on strong partnerships between school districts ( or in some cases charter schools ), institutions of higher education , and business / industry , P-TECH students would receive focused education and training to prepare them for high-demand jobs . This high school model , which would be new to Texas , could particularly benefit the students and industries in our part of the state .
Another project I have been involved with this interim , and one that I feel holds great promise for moving our educational system forward , is the Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability . This commission was created by House Bill 2804 , last session , and has been meeting since January to discuss the purposes and roles of our state assessment system , particularly the STAAR test and required End of Course Exams for high school students , and of the overall school accountability system .
When I filed the legislation that eventually went into House Bill 2804 to create the commission , I envisioned a broad group of people , including experts and educational stakeholders , coming together from diverse perspectives , finding consensus and making recommendations to the next legislature about how our assessments and accountability systems could be reformed to better serve the students of Texas .
I ’ m proud of the group that was assembled and am thankful to the governor , lieutenant governor , and house speaker for the appointees they carefully chose . The 15 of us have worked hard to try to form that consensus on the proper role of assessments and accountability in our state and how they can both be improved .
Some of the ideas we have been working on include implementing an individualized , integrated system of assessments using computerized-adaptive testing and instruction ; allowing the commissioner of education to approve locally developed writing assessments ; and using student performance on national tests , paid for with state resources , to determine college and career readiness .
While school finance was not one of our committee ’ s official interim charges , the recent Supreme Court decision does provide us with the opportunity to make significant changes in how our schools are funded by the state . The court ruled that our current system is constitutional , but significantly flawed . I could not agree more . Some of our formulas are 30 plus years old and much of the complexity of our current system is due to multiple “ band-aid ” fixes applied in response to prior court decisions . It is time to take on this overly complex system , make it easier to understand , and update it to reflect current conditions and costs . This will not be an easy task , due to the diversity within our system I mentioned above .
This interim between sessions has provided me with an opportunity to learn so much from educators , parents , administrators , and experts in the diverse areas of education policy . And while our committee ’ s work isn ’ t nearly completed , I ’ m already looking forward to working with my colleagues to tackle these and many other education policy issues during the 85th Legislative Session .
By Larry Taylor State Senator , District 11
Chairman , Senate Education Committee