Richardson High School - Eagle Yearbook (Richardson, TX)

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1 fa.,-ani' ui Even Assistant Principal Harold Kellogg has to take the TECAT. About 200,000 Texas teachers, such as swimming coach Denise Fick, took the test, March 10. fMehtaJ TECAT, the teacher competency test March 10, was a hot topic and a humorous one for Spanish teacher Sharon Hiner, German teacher Jill Darl- ing and track coach Greg Guillory. fScottl els' o pass - no pay: Texas tests teachers Imagine this: your most hated teacher will not be al- lowed to teach. lt seems like an impossible dream, but, in fact, it is a very harsh and oncoming reality. Everyone knows about House Bill 72, and, of course, everybody is equally unim- pressed with the new no pass, no play rule. But how many students know about the cer- tification test for teachers in- cluded in that bill, also? That's right, on March 10, 1986, the tides are turning and all persons issued a Texas teaching cer- tificate prior to February 1, 1986, took a statewide test commonly recognized as the TECAT fTexas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachersl. According to the National Computer Systems of Iowa City, lowa, the company that developed the test, it is a ninth grade level test. l think even a student should be able to pass it. said junior Lisa Neverdousky, after being shown one of the study guides for the test. Not just the teachers had to take the test, but the counselors and principals, and even Dr. Arzell Ball-, the RISD superintendent, had to take it, too. The whole purpose of the TECAT is to determine how many, if any, illiterate or in- competent teachers and ad- ministrators there are in Texas by testing basic reading and writing skills. lt upsets the teachers, basically. When you graduate you've already taken tests, studied, and put forth the ef- fort, said Principal Tom Kelly. When it's all over, you try to get away from itg and now, due to the test, you have to recap everything you've learned. What you might have been proficient at 20 or 30 years ago, for some, might not be a strong suit now, said Kelly. lt's sad that principals in the state of Texas can t tell if their teachers can read and write, said English teacher Anne Dillard. The teachers are allowed to take the test as many times as required. The first two times the test is administered, the cost is paid for by the State of Texas with the taxpayers' money. Any time after that, the test costs S30. l think the test is a com- plete waste of money, said counselor Patricia Green. The training takes place before cer- tification and hiring. lf school districts hire illiterates, maybe we should look at the higher personnel that are doing the hiring. Although House Bill 72 calls for testing in specific areas as well as basic reading and writing skills, subject area testing has been suspended in- definitely. So no matter what subject teachers teach, all have to take a standardized English test. Those who graduated and were certified after the cut-off date of Feb. 1, 1986 must take the specialized tests of different subject. areas. As it stands now, the test takers- must take 80 to 90 multiple choice problems and answer a brief essay writ- ten from one of two situation questions. The test may appear a good idea for some, but for others it may be their worst. fears finally realized. Only the test results will tell. - Chris Hanchey Academics f 81

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