2004 Customer Satisfaction Survey (PDF, 566 KB) - TEA - Home ...

More funding for Alternative Schools.
I am most concerned about the inordinate amount of time schools must spend proving that we are
doing our jobs to the extent that we don’t have time to do the job. Another concern is that charter
schools fail one after another, but the state keeps following this road to failure. My last concern is the
lack of rules for home schooling. We continually get students from home schools that are far behind
their age peers in their studies.
Charter/private schools who receive funding through vouchers or any other method of transfer should
be required to meet the same requirements of TAKS testing as the public schools. ESL students
should be given more time to master the English language before they are required to take and pass
the TAKS and have the score a part of the district or campus rating. When a student meets the
criteria and is served in special education, how can the district be out of compliance because they
have a high percentage of special education students? Performance pay for teachers will take us
back to the career ladder days yet will have greater negative results in the work place.
I am concerned that the Governor suggested such unreasonable remedies to school finance and they
were printed as if they were not obviously absurd. I am very opposed to charter schools and
vouchers.
All of the accountability falls on the teachers/administration. Why is there no accountability on the
parents/guardians!
The equating of TAKS tests AFTER the students have completed the test is not fair to the children. It
seems that field tests could be used for this purpose instead of coming back and slapping 3339
children down after they thought they had passed the third grade test. I strongly believe in
accountability, but I also think TEA needs to remember this is dealing with 8 year old children, not just
numbers, statistics and politics. Also, teacher incentives do not need to be given for high test scores.
The individual classroom teacher in who administers the test is not the only teacher that has effected
that child’s progress throughout the year. It is a whole campus effort in every special area as well as
in the general classroom to make these students successful. It happens over time beginning with the
day the student first enters the school, not that one year in that teacher’s classroom. This type of pay
incentive would destroy collaboration and the taking of responsibility for student success by the entire
campus. It is divisive. Career Ladder showed us what happens when only certain people on a
campus are rewarded
Telling an 8 year old that they have failed the TAKS reading test for the 4th time, they don’t qualify for
special education (80, 90 IQ), and they hate reading and school. It is shameful!!!! Every legislator
should have to come and tell these kids that news. I believe in accountability, but they are giving us
everything they have and we are wearing them out with tutoring every which way we can. We also
must have information in a more timely manner. I lost 2 teachers this year to private schools because
of the on-going changing regulations and requirement put upon them.
Optional extended year (tutoring). Special Education accountability. Textbooks Adoption.
Unrealistic accountability system in place. Conflict with HQ teacher in NCLB and the new certification
for TX teachers who have a degree and can take the exit test to become certified in grades 8-12 with
degree in that subject area. Will this come back to bite us? Problem expecting Spec Educ teachers
to be certified in all subject areas as well as special education. It is difficult as it is to find certified Sp
Ed teachers.
Special Education issues/Accountability.
Special Education Students that are committing serious and persistent school and legal infractions in
school and cannot be expelled, even when they are placed in a DAEP. When a county’s population is
not over 125, 000, and cannot afford to fund their own JJAEP program, then there are many Special
Ed. Students that have figured out that nothing can be done to them other than staying at a DAEP.
There are students on their 5th and 6th drug offense, and yet they are still not expellable. We are
sending a false message to these students, that they can break these kinds of laws and the schools
will tolerate the behavior. Something needs to change regarding these students consequences. They
are being given more lenient treatment that is causing them to feel comfortable in re, offending.
How low socioeconomic schools can finance Fine Art classes for all students.
Special Education (504), Student Discipline & Safety.
Teacher Certification and NCLB mandate for the rural schools.
Special Education issues with increased paperwork. Discipline of special education children.
Classroom Management/Student Discipline.
Survey Research Center, University Of North Texas
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