Although Yogi would caution me that «it ain't over'til it's over», as we enter the last week of the special session of the 82nd Texas Legislature, it appears that our education reform coalition has successfully achieved its top priority for the session, which was the defense of HB 3,
the comprehensive public school accountability -LSB-...]
In our balanced budget I proposed a
comprehensive strategy to help make our
schools the best in the world — to have high national standards of academic achievement, national tests in 4th grade reading and 8th grade math, strengthening math instruction in middle
schools, providing smaller classes in the early grades so that teachers can give students the attention they deserve, working to hire more well - prepared and nationally certified teachers, modernizing our
schools for the 21st century, supporting more charter
schools, encouraging
public school choice, ending social promotion, demanding greater
accountability from students and teachers, principals and parents.
States must also meet several other conditions, including: 1) working with the
public schools to define the academic and social skills that five - year - olds must possess in order to succeed in kindergarten; 2) developing preschool activities and materials that help poor children acquire these skills; 3) outlining an
accountability program for determining whether four - year - olds are learning these skills; 4) maintaining state spending on preschool programs; and 5) continuing to provide
comprehensive services.