05.22.06
hurricane students test poorly
High schoolers who fled hurricanes score poorly on Texas test
– KTRK ABC Channel 13
Just one in six high school sophomores who were displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita passed a state standardized test that is a precursor to the exit exam they will have to pass next year to graduate.
Test results were just as dismal for other displaced high school and middle school students, who scored much lower than their Texas peers at every grade level.
Experts said New Orleans’ troubled school system was partly to blame, along with the trauma of adjusting to a new home and a new school.
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About half of Texas sophomores passed the English language arts, math, science and social studies sections of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. About 17 percent of evacuee sophomores passed each section.
While displaced high school juniors and seniors can earn a Louisiana diploma in Texas by passing their home state’s standardized tests and completing its graduation requirements, sophomores who choose to stay will have to pass the TAKS next year to graduate.
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