Are high schools in the Brownsville and Rio Hondo Independent School Districts "gaming" the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) by having poorly-performing Hispanic freshmen students take a class which in reality preps them to pass a biology exam as sophomores?
This question, contained in a complaint filed by Josapath Lozano, of Rio Hondo, emerged after his daughter – who had failed to meet standards in the 8th grade STARR science test the previous year – was placed in an advanced class in Rio Hondo High School instead of the required core biology course.
Lozano – a retired teacher and administrator – questioned new Rio Hondo ISD superintendent Ismael Garcia and Rio Hondo High School principal Dayanira Martinez Garcia during a meeting with both on the reason why his daughter who had struggled with science was being place in an advanced class (Environmental Systems Science) recommended for students in the 11th and 12th grades.
The response from the principal and superintendent to his queries, he said, was vague and he was told that the course was "like pre-Biology."
As an educator, Lozano knew that the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the tested Students Expectation for ESS were totally different from Biology TEKS and the tested students expectations.
As an educator and a school administrator, he knew that a "pre-biology" class did not exist.
His suspicions grew that the placement of his daughter and other students into the advanced class was nothing more than a ruse to prepare them for the Biology STARR in their sophomore year and improve their school's scores. In the meanwhile, those students would be deprived of crucial education benefits that they could attain by taking the basic biology courses
As he probed into the motives that led the Rio Hondo principal and the superintendent to place students who did poorly in science in the advanced course to prepare them to take the biology test in the coming year, Lozano contacted other high schools in the Brownsville Independent School District and other valley school to see whether this practice of "gaming" the STARR was occurring there.
To his surprise, he discovered that the practice of subjecting poorly-performing Hispanic students to what amounted to a STARR test-preparation was widespread in the BISD schools.
He found out that aside from Hanna, teachers and administrators at Lopez, Pace, Porter, Rivera and Veterans Memorial were all doing the same thing.
No other valley school district were doing what BISD and Rio Hondo ISD were doing, he discovered.
They were all offering the Environmental System Science class to all incoming freshmen who ha failed their 8th Grade STARR Science test, and had move the Biology class and STARR test to the sophomore year.
When he questioned the chairman or lead teacher at Hanna with his concerns, he was told that she just entered date (TEKS and answer choices) into the system that she was given and that she had nothing to do with the test. She also promised to return his call and never did.
Lozano suspected that the result of this devious practice, students would be deprived of critical course knowledge that was offered in the Biology class, while the test scores in the STARR test in their sophomore year would improve to make the school, teachers, and administrators look good when the test results came in.
He was surprised to see that Rio Hondo ISD was offering Biology curriculum to students under the name of Environmental Science System and that the district was reporting to the Texas Education Agency through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) that more than 125 freshmen students were taking the advanced ESS class.
The bottom line was that even though students were registering for the Environmental Sciences System course, they were in reality taking a Biology curriculum.
Incidentally, Rio Hondo Superintendent Ismael Garcia was the former Chief Financial Officer for the BISD and the new Rio Hondo High School Principal Dayanira Martinez Garcia was also formerly employed at the BISD.
He suspects, Lozano charges, that school districts had less testing, and more time to prepare students. The new rules meant that school districts could take advantage of this new testing arrangement and could use it to "game" the system.
In his complaint, Lozano charges that freshmen students taking the advanced ESS class have the advantage over other freshmen students who have to take the Biology EOC their freshman year.
He charges that Rio Hondo (and BISD) with the knowledge of their respective superintendents, are attempting to improve their respective district's 9th Grade Biology STARR test results by preventing low-performing students from taking their Biology End Of Course exam and giving them the Biology EOC their sophomore year after the students have completed two years of Biology curriculum.
This, Lozano charges, is not only unethical, but also violates the provision in HB5 that states that no more than 10 percent of the time of any class can be spent tutoring a student. He claims that 100 percent of the ESS class isi a tutorial for the Biology STARR exam.
This amounts, Lozano claims, to tampering with a government record and amounted to knowingly permit students to receive credit for a class they were not taking with knowledge of its falsity.
As a result, he claims his daughter and others like her lost educational opportunities the district is under state and federal mandate to provide, are unable to obtain maximum educational achievements, are unable to be challenged to meet their full educational potential, and are the source of stress, anxiety and emotional distress.
In the absence of a resolution within the Rio Hondo ISD grievance process, Lozano stated he is prepared to refer the case to the Cameron County District Attorney Office's Public Integrity Unit.
18 comments:
At BISD, it's a class without books.
As a parent my two children and I should sue the DAMN System!! What a bunch of liars when they talk about accomplishments when it comes to the testing.. Where in the hell are the Stupid Board Members? Ah! I forgot it's not about the children it's about their pockets, fame and glory!!
Going to look into this further just when I thought we could trust the Public School System...
Deceit trickles down, everyone from the teacher up to principal do as they are told. There is little or no independent thinking. Start with the curriculum administrator. They may have suggested it or put enough pressure that someone came up with the bright idea. They would still have to approve it.
LOOK what is happening to our SCHOLARS in San Bennie! OMG.
http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=1131708#.VIIUx8l4UpF
BISD and other Valley school districts spend too much time trying to "game" the system for Texas standard tests. We all know that BISD "teaches the test" and so it surely would be in their best interests to create classes..."to teach the tests". Teachers these days don't teach lessons....they teach the test...and as long as it keeps warm butts in the seates (source of school financing) then we can continue to expect BISD to graduate kids who are illiterate in two languages....even if they memorized enough to pass the Texas tests.
"Recommended" does not mean that the course is required to be taken in a specific grade level. A course can be taken at any grade level as long as it is not designated to be pre-course requirement for a specific course or the continue of sequence in the curriculum. Do your homework and do some research before writing your articles.
Tests, Tests, Tests. Chaque spur
Smiley Garcia??
Not kidding, he was on Cata and Luci's "payroll"
There are too much so called grievances going on at BISD where top admins want more more and are suing. Check out the Dec. 9th agenda folks. Thats where the BISDS money is going to.
These so called admins put themselves on the agenda, go through the BISD Grievance motions, and then cash out big with a settlement.
Two AA's are suing and are on the Agenda are BISD. Folks, all BISD Agendas are to feed the pockets of Admins who know that others did the same thing and got paid big bucks. Its not about the kids, its about how much '$$$$' their BISD buddies on the other side will pay out to them. A HR ponzi-scheme or what????
Juan, how may top admin grievances can you spot in the Dec. 9th agenda and how much money will they approve to throw out to these people?
The Republican run state and federal congress are responsible for the focus on high stakes testing. You want to change things start there. Remember Idea and other charter schools don’t teach either, since they sucked out all the best students there no need to.
BISD and its schools "suck" because the majority of the parents don't give a shit about education and see the system as their baby-sitter and meal service. As long as the parents have no interest in good education....BISD will give them exactly what they want and the trustees will make some money on the side. Since teachers vote and students don't....BISD trustees and administrators will pander to the teachers...most of whom probably can't pass the Texas standardized tests. Since the parents don't care...the corruption and poor education of our kids will continue.
Standarized testing has been going on for ever. As a child of the 70's, I remember taking TABS (Texas Assessment of Basic Skills) and the CTBS exam. When the TABS became TEAMS and became mandatory to receive a high school diploma then it became a lucrative business, then education became a business where everyone from the principal to area administrators to board members (OF ANY DISTRICT) could gain something. Lost in the game: Students and Teachers. Parents today think that "open house" ends at the elementary level. Most non working parents (housewives) attend PTO meetings at the elementary level but forget that the middle school child is going into pre-adolesence and the high school child needs guidance to become an adult. Do you really have to be a retired principal or teacher to get to know what is going on at your child's school? NOOOOO! ANY parent or person that pays taxes to the district has the RIGHT to question from the school custodian to the school board member. The school board member is an ELECTED official and the custodian, the secretary, the assistant principal, the counselor, the nurse, the HEAD PRINCIPAL gets their salary paid from YOUR TAX DOLLARS. If they dont like you questioning them, you have the option of getting your child out of the district and place them in a charter school (there are plenty of those around). The loss of revenue$ will make them think twice.
The BISD school board is a joke former and new members .
Luci Longoria thinks she's in high school. She's Facebook requested my daughters and grand daughters They don't even know her. It's time she gets a life, acts her age, and stops complaining to everyone about her sour loss.
Drunk judge makes international news:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2863654/Video-emerges-Texas-judge-failed-sobriety-test-begged-police-leniency-DUI-charges-dropped-fellow-justice.html
I used to work for Smiley. He is as slippery as an eel. Conniving is his middle name. Just look at the permanent smirk on his face.
Smiley is a pseudo-intellectual who sometimes has trouble speaking intelligible English. He is not a smart man; just a lucky one. Mr. Lozano, I hope you kick his ass. Let's remove another liberal moron from our schools.
To the Republican bashing moron:
In the 1960's, the standardized test for Texas was the Iowa Test.
Teachers DID NOT prepare for the test and the students did not know they were going to take the test until at which time they were quietly escorted to the gym.
Democrats were in power at the time.
To the republican moron your right but high stakes testing started with “No Child Left Behind” from Mr. Bush’s advisors in the congress. Now the other moron Abbott wants to test 5 year olds in Texas.
I agree with the slippery eel, Mr. Lozano you need to keep putting pressure on the superintendent, he has no common sense, just luck like they said, but his luck will soon run out. Mr. Lozano, yeah you would be the one to run him down out of rio Hondo.
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