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Monday, July 19, 2010

Controversial Texas Projection Measure may again boost schools' ratings | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Controversial Texas Projection Measure may again boost schools' ratings | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Controversial Texas Projection Measure may again boost schools' ratings



12:24 AM CDT on Monday, July 19, 2010

By HOLLY K. HACKER / The Dallas Morning News
hhacker@dallasnews.com

Hundreds of Texas campuses are expected to receive high marks again this month, thanks to a state rule that counts some students who failed a TAKS test as having passed.
The Texas Projection Measure, introduced last year, predicts students' future TAKS scores in a given subject based on their current TAKS scores and on their previous year's average campus score. If a student fails this year's TAKS test but is predicted to pass in a future year, the school gets credit as if the student had passed this year. And that can boost a school's rating.
The Texas Education Agency is scheduled to release this year's ratings July 30.
The controversial formula came under attack during a recent Texas House subcommittee hearing. Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, gave a few examples of how students could bomb the TAKS but still get credit for passing.
Since then, TEA Commissioner Robert Scott has said the Texas Projection Measure may be eliminated or revised in 2011. One