16% of Class of 2007 Fail TAKS ... Will NOT Graduate

16% of the Class of 2007 will NOT graduate this Spring according to this article in the Dallas Morning News.

That is 40,182 seniors who will not walk across the stage with their friends and classmates. Forty thousand students who will leave their high school at the end of this year without a diploma.

These students spent at least 13 years in school, completed all their required courses with passing grades, but because of one or more sections of the TAKS Exit Level Test, they will not receive a diploma.

Where will they go now? What will they do now?

40,000 young men and women from the Class of 2007 ... over 25,000 men and women from the class of 2006 .... over 22,000 men and women from the class of 2005. See TEA Reports to verify these #'s.

I hardly call this "No Child Left Behind".

Mind you, these young men and women are welcome to continue trying to pass the one or more sections of the test which they failed. Their next chance is in July. But they have already had 5 chances to pass this test ... already had extra help and tutoring from their schools. And now they are out of school!

Free Education is GONE for them. Nothing will be free from now on.

I guess my BIG question is .... DOES ANYBODY CARE??

Hello????

FORTY THOUSAND students will not graduate. Has anyone stopped to question the validity of the TEST?

I know the Math portion of the TAKS test inside, outside, and upside down ... and I am here to question the validity of this test.

But no one will listen to me. Math teachers who complain sound like whiners. Yet they are the only ones who work with the Math portion of the TAKS test. Ask any other adult to sit down and look at this test and they will excuse themselves away ....

"It's been years since I had Math ..."

"I was an English Major ... I didn't need Math ...."

"I barely made it past Algebra I myself ...."

TOUCHE' !!!

Yet all of you are viable members of society. Employed. Productive. Educated!! Why do we expect EVERY student in High School to be able to pass this Math Test? YOU couldn't pass it. ((Or could you? I double dog dare you to try .... Online Version )) Let me know how you do.
No excuses allowed such as ... "I just read the problem wrong" or "I didn't understand what the question was asking" or "It has been years since I had Math" ...... those are exactly the same things that high school juniors say. The 11th grade TAKS test covers 9th and 10th grade Math .... which to 11th graders was YEARS ago.

Okay ... Honestly ... How many of you bookmarked that online testing page for future reference? How many of you are willing to take a few hours and sit down and attempt to take just the Math portion of the 11th grade Exit Level Test?

Think you are good at Math .... I especially challange YOU to try it. Please print out a copy of the Formula Chart to use ... so you'll have the same advantage as the kids. Oh .... and see if you can borrow a TI-83 or 84 Graphing Calculator from someone. You might need it.