State's Big 5 school districts fail fed standards
© 2010 The Associated Press
Aug. 5, 2010, 6:53PM
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EmailHOUSTON — School districts in the state's five largest cities failed to meet federal education standards because of discrepancies in how the state and federal government count tests taken by special education students, Texas education officials announced Thursday.
Preliminary records released in Austin by the Texas Education Agency showed for the third consecutive year Dallas, Houston and San Antonio fell short of the standards. Austin failed last year, and this was the first year for El Paso.
Failure next year by Dallas, Houston and San Antonio means any student from those districts could transfer to a school in a higher-performing district and receive free transportation, according to agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson.
Overall, 78 percent of Texas school districts met federal standards this year. To pass, 73 percent of a district's students must pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or TAKS test, reading test and 67 percent must pass the math test. Last year, 81 percent of districts passed, but the standards were stricter this year, the agency said.