His new Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, owes his appointment, in a great way, to his leadership in the Texas testing program, but a close look at what actually has taken place in Texas is cause for concern. Under Governor Bush, Texas established a statewide achievement test called TAAS which is administered annually to every public school student from third grade through twelfth. However, Texas colleges are reporting that Texas-educated students still cannot read, even after getting good grades on the TAAS test. Even months before test day, teachers pressure students to be ready. They become little more than cheerleaders.
Schools fly banners, hold pep rallies and the pressure builds to pass the test.
Classroom time is spent practicing for the test rather than just focusing on well-rounded academic curriculum. Rarely do classes branch off into anything that's not on the test. Because teacher salaries and job security are tied to the results. Schools have even been found to cheat on the results. This is the heart of the Bush plan.