Staff Editorial: Don’t play the numbers game

The education system here in Texas has recently gone through quite a roller coaster of a ride. Tougher standards forced hundreds of schools across the state to sink to lower levels, the Houston Chronicle reported. At the same time, though, the state reported a record number of "exemplary" schools for this year. The tougher standards that the TAKS imposed made 21 schools fall into the unacceptable standard while hundreds went from "recognized" to "academically unacceptable." Meanwhile "exemplary" schools jumped from 564 to 637, about an 8 percent increase, the Chronicle reported. The Houston Independent School Districted faired well: 94 percent of the district’s schools either met or surpassed standards. Overall, HISD still held on to its acceptable rating. The results were derived from a combination of TAKS scores, drop out rates and school retention rates. The contradictory results just serves as evidence that the Texas Education Agency has its work cut out for it. The Legislature has already made strides toward improving education in the public schools by slowly eliminating the TAKS test. But while having standards and accountability are a necessary evil to make sure that teachers and administrators are doing their work, placing too much weight on numbers can backfire on politicians. There should be a clear line between politicians and educators that ensures neither is doing the other’s job. As long as teachers focus on instilling students with knowledge, the scores will fall into line for themselves, appeasing politicians and parents alike.