Statewide, reading and writing tests trip up students

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Texas high school freshmen struggled with reading and writing on new, tougher state tests meant to grade their readiness for college, according to data released Friday.

The students performed better on the math, science and social studies exams, but the results would have been significantly worse had the state enforced higher passing standards this year.

The Texas Education Agency reported that statewide passing rates on the end-of-course exams ranged from 55 percent in writing to 87 percent in biology.

If the higher standards had been in place, more than half the students would have failed the exams in every subject.

The standards - which determine the number of questions that students must get right to pass - are being phased in. The highest level takes effect for ninth-graders in 2016.

Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott said the results were "encouraging," with students generally performing as expected or better in the first year of the new exams.

"These results give us the opportunity to focus on subject areas that need improvement, and we will continue to work with school districts, teachers and parents to ensure we continue to improve education for Texas students," Scott said in a statement.

Even with the lower standards at the outset, the stakes are high for the ninth-graders, who must pass the exams in order to graduate. Students first took the end-of-course tests, part of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, last spring.

The writing test - failed by 152,270 students - included multiple-choice questions on grammar and editing and graded them on two, one-page essays. Students had to write a third essay that didn't count but was used for the development of future tests.

The passing standard was the highest on the writing exam, requiring students to get 65 percent correct. They could pass the algebra and biology exams by answering 37 percent correctly.

Writing challenge

With the lower bar, 83 percent of students passed the algebra test. Had the ultimate standard been in place, 39 percent would have passed.

"The prediction was that algebra was going to be disappointing, but that's not. I think that's a good start," said state Rep. Rob Eissler, who promoted the STAAR testing system as chairman of the House Public Education Committee.

"Writing has been a challenge for a long time, and I applaud our teachers for working on that because we live in a texting, twitter, sound-bite era," said Eissler, a Republican from The Woodlands who lost his primary re-election battle in May.

Scores reported by several Houston-area districts - including Clear Creek, Conroe, Klein, Spring Branch and the KIPP charter network - surpassed state averages.

The Houston Independent School District, the largest district in Texas, trailed the state in every subject, and Pasadena ISD fell behind in most, according to preliminary results. Both districts have high percentages of low-income students, who traditionally perform worse on standardized exams.

Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers union, said the low scores on the writing exams suggest that an overemphasis on standardized testing is depriving students of critical instruction.

"The curriculum gets geared to the test, and the bulk of the test is multiple-choice," she said. "Consequently, teachers are teaching specific facts rather than writing skills and analysis. It's almost ironic that the test itself points that out."

TAKS still in use

Statewide, 68 percent of students passed the reading test. Under the higher standard, 46 percent would have passed. Students did better in world geography with 81 percent passing; 40 percent would have met the tougher bar.

"I think it's safe to say we were all hoping for higher scores, but at least we know now how far we have to go to ensure we have college- or career- ready graduates," said Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business.

Older students continued to take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. The passing rates for 11th-graders were 98 percent in social studies, 94 percent in science, 93 percent in English and 91 percent in math.

ericka.mellon@chron.com twitter.com/e_mellon