STAAR EOC 15 Percent Rule Survey Results

We recently asked the community to weigh on a pressing question related to the STAAR end-of-course (EOC) 15% issue. Here's what we found out and what happened.

Background
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR™) replaced the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).

STAAR™ includes the 12 end-of-course (EOC) assessments mandated by SB 1031 in 2007 and the new grade 3–8 assessments mandated by HB 3 in 2009. The new tests will be implemented in the 2011–2012 school year.

On Friday, February 17, 2012, the Texas Commissioner of Education, Robert Scott, announced that he is giving school districts the option to waive for one year the requirement that the students' EOC score count as 15% of the final course average.

Mansfield ISD sought feedback from the community on the 15% rule that is now optional for districts through the use of an online survey that ran Thursday morning, February 23 thru Monday afternoon, February 27.

The survey asked the following: Should Mansfield ISD include STAAR end-of-course (EOC) exam results at 15% of the final course grade in 2011-12? [Doing so may have an impact on course credit, GPA, class rank, and UIL eligibility.]

The results were overwhelmingly against including EOC results this year:

• 10% (426) - Yes, MISD should include EOC exam results at 15% of the final course grade this year. 
• 79% (3220) - No, MISD should not include EOC exam results at 15% of the final course grade this year. 
• 11% (429) - I do not have enough information about the 15% rule, EOC or STAAR testing to share an opinion now. 
• Survey Total - 4075 

Demographic info:
75% (3060) - Parent
17% (689) - Teacher/Staff
6% (233) - Student
2% (79) - Administrator
0% (14) - Patron

On Tuesday, February 28, the Mansfield ISD school board voted to amend the grading guidelines so that the End-of-Course assessments are not calculated in the final course averages for this 2011-2012 school year.

Go to the STAAR/End of Course Information Blog Post for additional information about the new student assessment.