According to a recent study from the Texas Association of Business, students who don't pass the state standardized STAAR test, which they need to graduate, are taking advantage of a waiver program allowing them to still graduate.
86 percent of the students that apply for the waiver - which was approved in the last legislative session - are obtaining them. The law, which you can read here, allows for students who don't pass their STAAR tests to meet with a group comprised of a parent, teacher, counselor, and principal to evaluate a host of other metrics for each student to determine whether they can graduate.
Texas Association of Business' CEO Bill Hammond contends this equates to a workforce that isn't prepared for life after graduation. The TAB fought the legislation earlier this year.
Other groups are happy the law passed, and passed by a wide margin in May, saying high stakes tests aren't a good measure of student knowledge or performance.
Guests:
- Bill Hammond, CEO of the Texas Association of Business
- Theresa Treviño, Board member of Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment
