Thomas Ratliff on end-of-course exams
Editor's Note: The Education Front asked Thomas Ratliff, a State Board of Education member, to discuss his proposal to let high school students pass a course even if they failed the state's new end-of-course exam in the subject. Students who fail the test still would get credit if they had a grade of at least 70 in the course. Texas legislators previously had decided that end-of-course exams should count for at least 15 percent of a student's final grade. The State Board of Education has yet to approve Ratliff's proposal, which the East Texan explains below:
You proposed eliminating the requirement that end-of-course exams count as 15 percent of a student's grade. Why?
The Texas Legislature has gone too far in taking control away from locally-elected school board members. Accountability is one thing, but the unwavering march towards more emphasis on high-stakes standardized
