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“Texans give testing a passing grade,” said David Russell, chairman of the Communication Committee for the Texas Public Education Reform Foundation (TPERF) and VP External Affairs for Verizon, announcing the results of the survey which was conducted February 26 to March 2, 2003, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.8%. “The message of the survey and focus group research is loud and clear - Texans want high standards and accountability. Clearly, Texans are saying ‘Don’t mess with testing’.” The survey results were announced as part of a legislative briefing by the statewide organization conducted today in Austin and affirmed that TAKS is an effective tool to ensure student success. Of those respondents, 78 percent favor the TAKS because it focuses on what students learn rather than just what they can remember. Additionally, 69-percent of survey respondents agree that the use of standardized tests is a good tool to help make schools accountable. This information supports the effectiveness of the legislative platform of the Texas Education Reform Caucus (TERC). TERC believes that high standards and continued assessment leads to student success. During the briefing, a panel of TERC, TPERF and other educational reform proponents reviewed issues relating to recent survey statistics, TAKS testing results and proposed Texas education reform legislation. Panel members included TERC chairman, Phil Ritter; TPERF communications committee chairman, David Russell; TERC board member, David Thompson and Dr. Felipe Analis, Texas Education Agency Commissioner. “Accountability is the centerpiece of education reform in Texas,” said Thompson. “School districts that show improvement should be allowed to increase flexibility.” Thompson explained that TERC’s mission is to provide a vehicle for educators, business leaders, policy makers and representatives of state agencies and associations to collaborate in the development of education reform policy and to present a unified, bi-partisan message for school improvement to the legislature. The briefing was underwritten by the Washington Mutual Foundation. “Washington Mutual is not just showing up as a financial institution,” said Ritter. “Rather, it serves as a valuable member of the community through its dedication to education reform.” Commissioner Felipe Analis reviewed TAKS results, a test taken by students earlier this month, which showed that 89 percent of students passed the more difficult, application-based test; a 4-percent higher success rate than the state’s prediction.
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