This year, incoming freshmen will no longer take the one test that every administrator, teacher and student in Texas knows -the TAKS test.

The Texas Education Agency has decided that the class of 2015 will be the first class to take the STAAR instead of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

“This years freshmen will take only the STAAR/EOC tests,” CHS associate principal Michelle Kellen, said. “They will be required to take 12 tests [in high school], pretty much over the major subjects like Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. These tests are designed to be more rigorous and challenging than the TAKS test. They also only test one year of material, as opposed to the TAKS which can go up to three or four years back in curriculum.”

Graphic by Brian Hwu

The TAKS test was originally made to test a student’s knowledge in general areas or a subject. For instance, if you took an Algebra test, the material could go as far back as fifth to sixth grade. While it may show a students ability to maintain information, it does not necessarily show what students learned this year.

The STAAR changes this. The STAAR is an End of Course exam more than a standardized test. It covers material that was just covered over the past year. This system offers the TEA year-by-year statistics of students, and shows more individuality in student’s strengths and weaknesses.
While the STAAR test may show more student development and individuality, it has put increased pressure on the staff and students of Coppell High School. Last year, students were chosen at random to take example tests in order to give the STAAR board feedback and help them prepare their test for the following year.

“Last year we had the students do field tests for the STAAR. The basic purpose was to make sure that the STAAR tests were fair,” Kellen said. “If we gave a World History test to sophomores, and they all scored a 40 percent, we and the board would know that the test would need to be easier, and vise versa.”

While these field tests may have taken away stress and problems for the incoming freshmen and future classes, they added what seemed to be un-necessary stress to the current upperclassmen.
“We were forced to go down there and take the field tests,” junior Jake Nichols said. “It wouldn’t have been that bad, but my teachers took them for a grade. It was like taking two final exams, and final exams are really hard. I didn’t know what to expect, and it really stressed me out.”

In Coppell Independent School District standardized testing adds to the already rigorous curriculum, making some question the purpose of tests like the STAAR and TAKS.

“Standardized tests were instituted in Texas to help the schools that had a very simple schedule,” freshman math teacher Michael Fields said. “In Coppell, tests like the TAKS slow down the students. They make us cover material that is simpler material and that holds us back. The STAAR will allow us to cover what we would like, because its based more on complex subjects instead of just the basics.”

The official 2011 TAKS scores will be available for underclassmen this Thursday and Friday during all lunches. Students must present a photo ID in order to receive their scores.
Teachers of core classes have access to unofficial scores for their respective tests, but until the official scores are received, no student can be officially exempt. It is important that students not forget that all criteria regarding exemptions must be met in order to receive credit for that exam.

The requirements are (class-by-class basis):

• A grade of 85% or above
• Three or less absences, four or less tardies
• For subjects in which a TAKS test was administered, students must receive a passing grade on their exam
• If students receive a “commended” score, they could potentially be exempt from all course exams, including electives
• Remember that these requirements may vary based on class, grade, or behavioral problems, so verify with your teacher that you meet all requirements.

All around the nation, Americans are celebrating National Pretzel Day, enjoying free soft pretzels being handed out from a number of franchises.

Today- April 26, 2011- at Coppell High School, despite the solemn TAKS atmosphere, students and faculty celebrate this national holiday with (free) Snyder’s of Hanover mini pretzels. Teachers handed out bags of these 100 calorie packs to sustain testers throughout the first half of the day.

To learn more about this national holiday or the history of the soft pretzel, entertain yourself here.

Staff Writer

The week that underclassmen dread and the seniors celebrate is finally here. TAKS week has arrived in Coppell. TAKS testing will be held Tuesday through Thursday this week. Tuesday will be testing for the sophomores, while Wednesday will be testing for Juniors. Thursday, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen will all have testing, while seniors have late arrival. Friday will be testing for Sophomores and Juniors. A full TAKS schedule can be found under bell schedules on the Coppell High School website.

Remember to be prepared and try your best on these tests because these results are part of exemption and graduation standards. You can find test taking tips here. Good luck to everyone taking TAKS.

Staff Writer

It must be the time of year every student dreads. It begins with teachers giving the annual speech about eating a good breakfast and being well rested and ends with five hours in a classroom; it must be TAKS week.

But for incoming freshman next year they will not get to experience TAKS week, for it will no longer be given out to students. Instead it will be replaced with an End of Course Exam in order to test students over their knowledge in their core subjects.

In 2007 Senate Bill 1031 was enacted, which began the development of the EOC. This test will be given in Algebra I and II, geometry, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, II and III, world geography, world history, and Unites States history. Much like finals the EOC will count as 15 percent of a student’s final grade in a class.

In the eyes of many school officials, the EOC is a much better indicator of where students academically stand at the end of the year. Instead of an entire grade level taking the same subject test, the EOC is determined by what course you are taking. For example, since many students take biology their freshman year of school, they will be tested over the material that year. This differs from the current TAKS, which doesn’t test students over biology until their junior year of high school.

“The state believes that end of course exams are more indicative of what the student learned in a particular course… when you take the exit level you’ve got cumulative concepts that have built up over several years,” Associate Principal Deana Harrell said. “You can take biology as a freshman and not get tested over it until you’re a junior…students have been out of the course so long that their results are skewed.”

By implementing the EOC instead of TAKS, the state hopes to get a better idea of where students stand and where their strengths and weaknesses are. However, with every new system also comes down sides. Although the EOC seems to be a much better indicator then the TAKS some school officials believe that a better solution would be to get rid of the majority of the state testing over all.

“Overall students are assessed too much, especially when they are going to go to four core courses at high school- that part I disagree with. As far as changing the rigor, I think that’s a good thing. But overall I think it’s too much assessment and should only be done certain years, not every year,” Coppell ISD Director of Language Arts Jill Haltom said.

For Harrell, however, her concern lies in a different area. It is not the amount of state assessments that are necessarily a bad thing, but the fact it seems to be the only concern of the state. She thinks there should be more than one way to indicate student’s academic success and knowledge over a subject. State tests such as the TAKS and EOC seem to be looked at in the most depth when there should be other ways of determining a student’s ability to succeed in a subject.

Although the EOC will be first carried out for next year’s incoming freshman and they will know nothing different, students who have taken the TAKS test their entire high school career agree that it is time for a change.

“It is good because then it will test your knowledge on everything you are taking and it will be more on course with what you are actually learning instead of a generic state test,” junior Katie Edwards said.

Overall, the EOC’s purpose is to serve as rigorous state tests in order to make sure students are learning classroom material in depth. The TAKS test is a much more surface level test, while the EOC is made to challenge students performances and point out the level upon which our students are learning.

School officials are eager to find out how incoming freshman do on the EOC next year and are very supportive of this change.

During the daily announcements on Monday, May 24 freshmen, sophomores and juniors were given special news regarding their TAKS scores. All underclassmen were instructed to have a photo I.D. ready during all lunches to pick up scores on Tuesday, May 25.

Just like when prom tickets went on sale or when AP registration was taking a place, the cafeteria was an absolute mad house, as students frantically waited to recieve the “golden ticket” that revealed TAKS scores.

Several juniors waited in line, but there seemed to be no sign labeled “11th grade” on the wall. Clearly there was a problem.

Looking at each other with confusion and escalating anger, assisstant principal Sean Williams announced that juniors TAKS scores would not be available today.

Sooner rather than later, a majority of the junior class was livid and we all were in search for answers, but the only answer we got was “we’ll have them tomorrow”.

I, on the other hand, knew there was something we weren’t being told, so I went and asked Principal Brad Hunt.

“I’m sorry sweety, but we don’t know where the juniors scores are,” Hunt said. “They aren’t here, otherwise you all would be the first to know.”

This bit of information still concerns me. Although tomorrow is another day, it also happend to be the AP lunch for students who signed up for AP exams early. That lasts all of fourth period which would be the time that juniors would need to pick up their TAKS scores.

Why can’t we wait until Thursday? For some of us who have saved up our absences until now for exemption purposes, Thursday is essentially the first day of summer, but now it seems as though that will have to wait until Friday.

Exemption Requirements:
85 or above in each class for the semester average
No more than 3 absences
No more than 4 tardies
***Commended on all TAKS tests in order to not have to take any finals, along with the 3 requirements above
***Pass all TAKS tests in order to not have to take the final for that class, along with the 3 requirements above

TAKS scores are the core of all exemptions, but without them it looks like all the juniors are going to be here until the scheduled last day of school.

Fun times.

TAKS is quickly approaching. For seniors, this means a week of sleeping in and ten minute passing periods, but for freshman, sophomores and juniors, April 27-30 is not so enjoyable.

The science, social studies, math and reading TAKS tests will take place next week. The bell schedules are different each day, and this is important for students arriving late.

Here is the schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Good luck testing, CHS!

As CHS gears up for TAKS week, students can look forward to a relaxing Friday after three days of testing, when the AP Environmental Science classes will be hosting the Sustainability Expo. Sign-ups for classes are now available online.

Students can also enter the website through their fourth period on Blackboard, and sign-ups are available through April 22. Enrollment is a quick and easy process, allowing students to merely click on the courses they are interested in after reading brief descriptions of each session.

Classes range from a gardening experience at the Coppell Library to contemplating nature and doing yoga.

The classes are hosted by teachers and students in groups on the campus, and students must be present for the expo for any hours that they would normally be at school, or risk being counted truant.

On Wednesday March 3, freshman, sophomores and juniors will take the Reading/ELA TAKS test. Seniors do not have to come to school until noon, which is when fourth period will begin.

Testing starts at 8:20 a.m. and will go until fourth period, but if students have not finished, they will be given the chance to complete the test in an overflow room.

The schedule for the rest of the afternoon will be fourth through seventh period, each period lasting approximately 40 minutes. Lunches will follow the regular schedule, just at different times.

Good luck underclassmen on the first TAKS test of this year. Seniors enjoy sleeping in!

For the March 3 bell schedule, click here.