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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2003
Contact: James Bernsen (512) 463-0630
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Defense Affairs passes Delisi bill to help military kids graduate high school on time.
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AUSTIN -- The House Committee on Defense Affairs and State-Federal Relations passed a bill today by Representative Dianne White Delisi, District 55, which would allow for reciprocity agreements between states on exit-level exams for military children.
"Military children are among the most mobile kids in America, and spend their youths bouncing from one base to another," Delisi said. "This is hard enough, but high stakes exit-level exams have added another dimension to this problem. While I strongly believe in accountability through testing, many of these students have already passed similar tests in other states. Then they come to Texas, and instead of rolling out the welcome mat, we’re hitting them with TAKS."
Delisi said that students sometimes arrive at a new post like Fort Hood, with only days to prepare for high-stakes tests like the TAKS. In some cases, students have arrived too late and could not graduate on time.
House Bill 591 directs the Texas Education Agency to pursue agreement with other states to allow for the transfer of student records and for the substituting of other exit-level exams for the TAKS test, if the tests are deemed comparable. Currently, 17 states have such exams, though many are not considered equal to the standard set by the TAKS in Texas. Although House Bill 591 allows agreements with any states, it focuses primarily on Florida, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. Together with Texas, these states represent the five states with the largest military populations in America. And all have strong exit-level exams.
"These students would still be required to meet the same high standards we ask of all kids who get a Texas diploma. TEA will be very rigorous in their assessment of these tests. No one will be exempted if the tests they’ve taken don’t meet certain criteria. But if they do, we need to get this established quickly," Delisi said.
"At a time when our men and women are fighting to defend freedom, we must do everything we can to help them out at home. By taking care of their children, we’re sending a message: that we are keeping the home fires burning for the families."
House Bill 591 now moves to the full House of Representatives. If passed and signed by the governor, Texas would be the first state in the country to pass legislation of this kind. The Military Child Education Coalition, located in Harker Heights, has offered to assist TEA in examining other states tests to identify how they stack up to the TAKS.
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