Austin Schools Show Gains in Statewide Testing Results

Despite the increasingly tough standards students in public schools are facing, Austin students are continuing to excel.  According to a recent article in the Statesman, students in nearly every grade showed improvement on their statewide standardized testing for the year.

The test, which is called the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, is given each year to all students in third grade through eleventh grade.  The exam covers math, reading, science, social studies, and writing and is meant to help measure student achievement from year to year.  In addition, in order to pass on to the next grade level, third graders have to pass the reading portion of the test.  Similarly, fifth graders and eighth graders have to pass the math and the reading portions in order to be promoted to the next grade while eleventh graders have to pass all section sin order to graduate. 

According to preliminary results, the students at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders did quite well, with over 90% of the students passing every section of the test.  This is particularly good news for the school because it just opened this year. 

93% of the eight graders attending public schools in Austin passed the reading portion of the test, which was a gain of 9 points when compared to last year.  975 of eighth graders in the Round Rock district passed the reading test while 89% passed the math test on their first try.  These rates are likely to increase, however, once the results from the second administration of the tests are calculated into the figures.