Posted 6:29 pm Saturday, August 28, 2010
Troup ISD Giving Gifts For Superior TAKS Scores
Students Receive Incentives For Acing Standardized Test
By KELLY GOOCH
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Rewarding students with money is not prevalent in school districts statewide, but the practice has proven beneficial for Troup ISD.
Superintendent Marvin Beaty said students who are commended, meaning they receive an A+ score on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, can select something at a value of $100, such as a bicycle.
"They write down what they want, then (the district) brings all the gifts in and it's like a parade of gifts …," Board member Bill Lacy said. "It's like Christmas Day. The ones who don't get anything are highly motivated."
Beaty said at the secondary level, it's popular for students to go to the mall during a field trip and use a $100 gift card.
Merchants won't sell anything that would be objectionable, he said, and it gives students the opportunity to get items such as clothing.
Officials said the incentives have been valuable over the years.
Since the initiative began in 2004, the number of students who received a commended score has risen 250 percent, Beaty said.
He said 35 percent of all TAKS tests taken this year ended up with a commended score, which amounted to about $25,000 or $30,000 in student incentives.
State accountability ratings also have improved.
In 2004, the district's three campuses received academically acceptable ratings, as did Troup ISD as a whole.
District campuses received recognized ratings in 2006, 2007 and 2009. And this year, Troup Middle School was exemplary -- the highest rating given by the Texas Education Agency.
"It is incredibly effective," Beaty said of the student incentives. "We all go to work to get paid. I think students enjoy being rewarded for their hard work."
TEA, along with a state teacher organization, discourage giving incentives if it identifies students who didn't pass TAKS. However, the incentives in Troup ISD do not identify those students.
In Whitehouse ISD, students are not rewarded monetarily, but they are motivated to do well on the TAKS, said Betty Lough, executive director of curriculum and instruction.
She said students at secondary campuses may be exempt from a final exam if they pass TAKS, and several campuses hold pep rallies prior to the test.
Some "teachers even have T-shirts they wear on certain days leading up to TAKS," she said.
And overall, Ms. Lough believes the efforts have been worthwhile.
We "can encourage them and get their enthusiasm built up so they're excited about what they're learning," she said. Then "they understand the importance of it, and in turn they will work harder on the test if they understand the value of doing that."
While some districts are motivating students, other East Texas districts are giving incentives to teachers.
In Jacksonville ISD, teachers are given payments based on TAKS scores from the previous year.
Lindy Finley, assistant superintendent of finance and operations, said teachers at recognized campuses are given $750 while teachers at exemplary campuses receive $1,000.
All other staff at these campuses, including secretaries and custodians, also receive a monetary incentive.
District officials decided to give incentives to teachers about two or three years ago to reward their hard work, said Judy Terry, JISD assistant superintendent of instruction and curriculum. The incentives are typically given out on an unannounced date each November.
"We just feel gratitude to them for working for our kids," Ms. Terry said. "Sometimes it's just nice to know someone appreciates you."
Teachers are also given cash bonuses based on student performance in Troup ISD.
Beaty said teachers at recognized campuses receive a $1,000 bonus if at least 90 percent of their students passed TAKS. At an exemplary campus, the teacher gets $2,000 if at least 90 percent of their students pass TAKS.
Larry Comer, public relations director with the Association of Texas Professional Educators, said the organization's concern with teacher incentives is that it can create a divide among teachers and force them to teach only for the test.
Ms. Finley said she believes JISD teachers would work hard, whether they received the incentives or not.
"I think incentives are nice to have, but I don't think it would change (TAKS) scores," she said.
