In 2007 Senate Bill 1031 was enacted, which called for the development of “end-of-course assessment instruments for secondary-level courses in Algebra I, Algebra II, geometry, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, English II, English III, world geography, world history and United States history.” The purpose of the end-of-course (EOC) assessments is to measure students’ academic performance in core high school courses and to become part of the graduation requirements beginning with the freshman class of 2011–2012. Focus on knowledge and skills that are considered “non-negotiable” for success in that course and are important for preparedness in the next course. The EOC assessments for lower-level courses must include questions to determine readiness for advanced coursework. The assessments for higher-level courses must include a series of special purpose questions to measure college readiness and the need for developmental coursework in higher education. In addition, a student’s score on each EOC assessment will be worth 15% of the student’s final grade for that course. http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/eoc/

What does this mean exactly for Sunray High School? Well, a lot. We will have the incoming freshmen of 2011-12 school year taking the EOC exam rather than the TAKS test. Sophomore through senior students will still taking TAKS test for their graduation requirement. The upcoming freshmen class will be required to pass 12 end-of-course assessments prior to graduation. With new testing comes a new accountability system. From my understanding the defining characteristics of the new accountability system will be the emphasis on college and career ready performance on the end-of-course assessment. The Recognized and Exemplary labels will emphasize higher levels of student performance rather than higher percentages of students performing at the proficient level. There is a lot of uncertainty about the new assessment system. However, at Sunray High School it is our goal to educate students for beyond high school.