State relaxes EOC requirement, local districts pleased

December 03, 2012, 10:00 pm by Adam Troxtell

School districts in Burnet and Llano counties still adjusting to new state assessment test standards have been given a break after the state suspended a requirement that placed extra pressure on schools and students.

Michael Williams, the Texas Education Commissioner, announced Friday that a requirement for state districts to count students’ end-of-course exam (EOC) grades as 15 percent of their final grade has been suspended until the next academic year.

The announcement comes after parent groups voiced their concern that Texas is putting too much on students too quickly, and area school officials appear happy with the move.

"This allows for districts to decide if they want to implement the 15 percent requirement, but most districts are going to defer,” Manny Lunoff, principal for Marble Falls High School, said. "What a lot of people don’t realize is even without that EOC requirement, the system maintains a very high level of accountability.”

Jim Connor, secondary curriculum coordinator for Burnet Consolidated ISD, was in the room at the Hilton Austin when Williams made the announcement.

"I think everyone feels a sense of relief, because there was no clear picture of how this would look,” Connor said. "It’s like when you play a game, you want a clear set of rules that everyone can follow. I don’t think they’ve set all the rules. The way things are done at some campuses is different than others. You want a level playing field for everyone, and until everyone is comfortable with these EOC tests and the requirements, you’re going to have trouble knowing what the rules are.”