By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 29A Dallas County is working to create four courts that will handle the thousands of truancy cases generated each year by chronically absent Dallas schoolchildren, officials said. The new courts, two of which could debut as soon as October, will be designed to ensure that truancy cases are heard […]
Read More… from Dallas County could see truancy courts by the fall
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Let the silly puns begin. After months of contemplation, state education officials have quietly settled on the name of the standardized test that will replace the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, or TAAS, in 2003. And the winner is…the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. That’s TAKS, as […]
Read More… from TAKS season a certainty for students in ’03; Renamed TAAS II tested TEA creativity
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A A decade ago, it was the wave of the future. Now, the year-round calendar is becoming a thing of the past, at least in Texas. The idea was simple: Sharply cut back on the traditional summer break, and students will forget less and learn more. For a time […]
Read More… from All-year schooling fading out; Some Texas districts don’t see benefits
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 30A Ken Zornes was elected the new president of the Dallas Independent School District’s board of trustees Thursday night. The board’s 8-0 vote was a sign that the district has moved beyond the chaos that marked recent years, trustees said. The two previous transitions of power on the board […]
Read More… from Zornes elected DISD president; Trustees note 8-0 vote departs from past conflict
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A For many parents and school officials in North Texas, last week brought the latest in a long line of good news: Passing rates on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills went up, just as they have every year. School leaders were quick to praise the students, teachers and […]
By Colleen McCain Nelson and Joshua Benton Staff Writers Page 25A Dallas Independent School District officials said Wednesday that they are investigating allegations of cheating on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills at Onesimo Hernandez Elementary School. Dr. William J. Webster, deputy superintendent for evaluation and accountability, said DISD officials have begun interviewing students, staff […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Dallas students scored better than ever on this year’s Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, an improvement that could cut the number of schools with the state’s lowest rating by more than half, district officials said Thursday. The turnaround also could double the number of Dallas schools that receive […]
Read More… from Dallas sees turnaround on TAAS; Scoring gains may raise schools’ state ratings
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 27A It was 1985, and principal Bob Densmore was presiding over the graduation ceremony at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson. A senior, apparently overcome with glee, decided to do a cartwheel off the stage after accepting his diploma. He picked the wrong principal to mess with. “I told […]
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Attention, amusement park owners: Expect a lot more late-summer business next year than you’re used to. The Legislature is poised to push the start of school back a few weeks each fall, freeing up more time for late-summer beachcombing and trips to the Grand Canyon. But many school […]
Read More… from Later school start draws dirty looks; Districts want to set own calendars
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 22A Two former officials of Lancaster’s public housing office pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges that they stole more than $90,000 in government funds through a scheme to make tenants look poorer than they actually were. The two ex-employees are Sharon Morris, 67, and Catherine Massingill, 40. Ms. Morris […]