Parent power vital to helping students
prepare for new reading requirements

If your child will enter third grade during the 2002-2003 school year, helping them master the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test will be as easy as diving into the pages of a favorite book.

All students who are enrolled in the third grade during the 2002-2003 school year must pass the reading section of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills to be promoted to fourth grade. These promotion requirements begin with students enrolled in the second grade during the 2001-2002 school year. The same requirements will apply to Limited English Proficient and special education students who are not declared exempt from testing.

"You'll not only be delving into new worlds of the imagination, you will also strengthen your child's reading skills, which will prepare them for new elementary testing requirements," said Joyce Eversole, associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Eversole said parents will play an important role in helping your their child master the new testing requirements. She suggests creating a lesson plan for success at home to supplement classroom learning. Those ideas include:

* Spending as much time as possible reading books, newspapers or other types of publications. Have your child ask
   questions about what they have read.
* Choosing books or reading materials you are both interested in.
* Discussing meanings of new words in what your child has read. This will help broaden your child's vocabulary skills.
* Reduce television time and plan family activities that will support your child's learning.

School officials also suggest keeping an open line of communication between parents and teachers. "It is important to chart your child's reading progress with his or her teacher and ask where room is needed for improvement," Eversole said. "Parents should also feel free to approach their child's teacher or campus principal with any further questions or concerns."

If a student does not pass the TAKS reading test, he or she will have two more opportunities to pass the test before the next school year begins. Extra instruction will be provided to these students to ensure improvement in their reading skills.

Once a student has passed the reading portion of the test, he or she must pass the reading and mathematics portions of the TAKS if they enter fifth grade during the 2004-05 school year. Another reading and math assessment will be given to students who will enter eighth grade during 2007-08.

"Our teachers are doing everything possible to help prepare our students for these new requirements," Eversole said. "By working together with parents we can further ensure the success of every student."


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