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HISD Board Approves New Magnet Schools While Angry Parents, Teachers Express Frustration With Testing

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Also: HISD trustees approve two new magnet schools for energy & health
(Chron.com)

At the HISD board meeting Thursday night, parents, students and teachers asked the district to stop relying so much on standardized tests. The Houston school board now has sixteen hundred postcards from people who all want the district to focus less on standardized tests.

“Quality in testing, not quantity.” That’s the chorus from Community Voices for Public Education.

Several members explained how high stakes testing affects them personally. Consuelo Martinez says in Spanish how the tests hurt her daughter instead of help her.

“Ella tiene que llegar muy estresada a casa … She is coming home stressed all the time.”

Her daughter was in the audience. She’s also Consuelo Martinez.  She says she’s always been proud of her mom for speaking out.

“In this case, I was proud because she was talking for me. She was out there speaking for my classmates and the future of the students.”
(Hear the full story at KUHF Public Radio)

RELATED STORIES:
• Required reading: magnets, charters, SAT do-over (Chron.com)
• New Magnet Schools For Medicine And Energy To Open In Houston (KUHF Public Radio)
• 257 Reagan students must retake SAT test (Chron.com)

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