Texas, like all other states in the United States, faces many problems as time goes by. Crime, drugs, environmental issues, immigration, and unemployment to just name a few. One of the biggest problems Texas faces, and will continue to face is education. More than 100,000 fifth graders through eighth graders have failed the reading state exams that are required to move on to the next grade level. In the 2012-2013 school year, 1.5% of these fifth graders and 1% of these eighth graders were held back or retained. When a student is held back a year or two, they face a higher risk of dropping out and not finishing high school because of things like social engagement. In all of the 50 states, Texas ranks last in the percentage of kids who graduate high school. With as much as 45 school days being taken up by standardized testing and school funding being cut drastically, education is quickly becoming a rising problem in Texas. .
While the education standards are being raised higher and higher, more kids are falling behind and not reaching the new standards that are being required to graduate. In 2012, the new STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) testing system replaced the old TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) testing system and this has created even more problems for the students and school districts in Texas. The TAKS test only required 4 tests for high school graduation, while the STAAR requires 15 tests, and the student must pass them all. STAAR tests count for 15% of a students' grade, meaning that failure on a single test can prevent a student from graduating. .
There are many ways that the education crisis in Texas can be fixed, for example, the school districts should have the decision on how many end of year tests should be required to graduate. I feel like teachers should be paid more, because they are setting the students (no matter what grade level) up for the future.
