6.6.25
“Facts All Parents Need To Know About the Education of Their Children”
By Donna Garner, Experienced Educator
Even though this article focuses on the Texas Public Schools, all parents across the United States can learn much about the way schools operate by reading this information, particularly about The College Board and AP classes.
(Also, please feel free to utilize the valuable articles posted at intervals in this article and at the bottom of the page under MORE INFORMATION.)
THE GOOD NEWS
The Texas Legislature just made a really great decision even though I am not sure they actually intended to do so.
Because the Texas House and the Senate could not agree on a replacement for the STAAR test (given to all Texas public school students in Grades 3-12), the STAAR test and the A – F Report Card (accountability system) will remain in place for two more years (barring a special session).
The A – F Report Card System holds Texas public schools and students accountable using four different factors: (1) STAAR test results, (2) academic growth, (3) graduation rates, and (4) efforts by schools to prepare students for careers after high school.
TEXAS LEGISLATURE DODGES THE WOKE “BULLET”
The “bullet” that the Texas Legislature just dodged is that they nearly fell into the trap of requiring students to take “national” norm-referenced tests instead of the Texas-produced, criterion-referenced STAAR tests which are currently in place.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PRODUCING THOSE NATIONAL, NORM-REFERENCED TESTS?
It is the “national” crowd in 2013 who started pushing into all schools across America Obama’s Type #2 Common Core/SOCIAL JUSTICE /LGBTQ/CRT/DEI agenda (now referred to as “WOKE”).
It is this far-leftist WOKE agenda that has indoctrinated multi-millions of students all across America.
I certainly do not want the same “national crowd” deciding what questions to put on our Texas public school students’ tests because “whatever gets tested gets taught.”
The thing that many Texas Legislators do not understand is that we do NOT want “national” norm-referenced tests (and the accompanying leftist curriculum) to take over our Texas public school classrooms Pre-K through Grade 12.
IMPORTANCE OF SBOE
In Texas, we voters get to decide who to place on the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE).
After giving the public many opportunities to testify, those 15 members decide on the exact wording of the curriculum standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills -- TEKS).
By law all public-school teachers across the state are required to develop curriculum that is closely aligned with the TEKS.
In short, the TEKS dictate the type of curriculum (Type #1 or Type #2) to be taught.
***I have published an easy-to-understand chart that explains very clearly the differences between Type #1 curriculum and Type #2 curriculum. Those differences are still valid today.
4.27.22 -- “Only Two Types of Education – Type #1 v. Type #2 – Cannot Mix – Just Like Oil and Water” -- by Donna Garner – https://donnagarner.org/only-two-types-of-education-type-1-v-type-2-cannot-mix-just-like-oil-and-water-com/
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STAAR TESTS AND ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM
If Texas public school districts decide to defy the law (and many do), the A – F Report Card Grading System will reveal the truth because the STAAR test questions (Type #1) are aligned with the TEKS (Type #1).
Under the Texas education code, the TEKS are to tell teachers WHAT to teach; but teachers control HOW to teach the TEKS curriculum standards.
If teachers follow the TEKS and teach them well, the A – F Report System will reward schools and students with good results.
NO WOKE IN THE TEKS
IMPORTANT: So far as I know, there is no LGBTQ, CRT (Critical Race Theory), nor DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) in the TEKS adopted by the SBOE.
TEKS – no WOKE – but the curriculum chosen by school districts to teach students – “not very good in most cases"
2.15.25 -- "To Rid Schools of WOKE Must Look at National Tests" -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/2-15-25-to-rid-schools-of-woke-must-look-at-national-tests-by-donna-garner/
THE DANGERS OF THE “NATIONAL” CROWD – COLLEGE BOARD
The problem that we have in Texas (as well as in other states) is that often administrators and teachers choose to go “outside” to purchase “national” Type #2 curriculum (much of it digitized). Oftentimes, it is full of WOKE content.
This is particularly true of The College Board-Advanced Placement (AP) classes which are totally aligned with the “national” tests (Type #2) produced by The College Board.
When David Coleman (the architect of Obama’s Type #2 Common Core) finished that job, Coleman went directly to The College Board to become the president there.
On 5.26.12, Coleman announced publicly that all College Board products would become Common Core (Type #2).
SIDEBAR
*Please do a search on the Internet for “2025 AP English Literature and Composition Free-Response Questions.”
This is the final 2025 exam for AP students taking this course.
These AP students, who are the brightest and best in our schools, are supposed to be studying and taking a final exam over the greatest writers in the world.
Please go to Response #1.
The students are to write a free response about Colleen McElroy’s poem “Monologue for Saint Louis.”
Colleen McElroy is hardly a “classic writer.” Yet out of all the great classic writers in the world, The College Board has chosen this unknown person.
In the AP instructions, students are told to “Use appropriate grammar and punctuation in communicating your argument.”
Yet Colleen McElroy’s poem contains not one single capital letter nor punctuation mark.
She has obviously rebelled against using traditional grammar and punctuation which are meant to bring true clarity and order to the English language.
What message does that send to the AP students – grammar and punctuation are not important?
This message might fortify already rebellious students to think, “These rules are for thee but not for me.”
Also, please notice the list of literary pieces posted at the bottom of the 2025 AP free response page.
Where are the names of the literary pieces that are considered to be “traditional classics” – those pieces that have stood the test of time because of the excellence of the writers?
Even the message in Colleen McElroy’s poem has a “WOKISH” tone to it. A person can only imagine the content of students’ responses to her poem – those AP students who have been totally indoctrinated by the College Board’s Type #2 philosophy for years.
So far as I know, no state boards of education, local school boards, parents of private and public-school children, state commissioners of education, governors, etc. have any control over what is taught in College Board AP classes nor what is put on College Board tests.
That is what happens when we allow “national” groups to have unfettered control of our children.
TEKS NO WOKE – SHOULD NOT BE FOUND IN CURRICULUM
If the TEKS are followed (and the accompanying Texas curriculum is built upon the TEKS), there should be no “WOKE” being taught in Texas public school classrooms.
Unfortunately, we still have those public-school personnel who rebel against students being tested on the STAAR tests because the tests evaluate how well students have learned the TEKS.
Instead these leftist, public school rebels have chosen to purchase “outside, Type #2 curriculum” instead of Type #1; and their AP students are being indoctrinated by the Type #2 AP/College Board classes.
The STAAR tests are criterion-referenced which means the questions are based upon the Type #1 TEKS.
However, most “national” tests are Type #2.
Please go to this link to see for yourself:
2.15.25 -- "To Rid Schools of WOKE Must Look at National Tests" -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/2-15-25-to-rid-schools-of-woke-must-look-at-national-tests-by-donna-garner/
THE CONSEQUENCES IF TEXAS LOST THE STAAR TESTS
If the Texas Legislature had forced our public schools into “national” norm-referenced” tests (Type #2), our Type #1 TEKS (curriculum standards) would have become invalid.
Also, the Texas State Board of Education (chosen by the voters) would have lost their authority over what is taught because the TEKS (Type #1) would have been ignored.
Old education adage still true today: “Whatever gets tested, gets taught.”
If Texas had fallen into the “national” norm-referenced trap, no Texas parents would have any real say in insisting that their children be taught Type #1 curriculum.
The Type #2 “national” norm-referenced tests would have forced teachers to place Texas students under the control of the “national” people who create the Type #2 “national” tests.
HOW TO IMPROVE TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS
What Texas needs to do is to require and PENALIZE public school personnel who choose to purchase Type #2 curriculum that does NOT cover the Type #1 TEKS.
If parents do not want their children indoctrinated by The College Board Type #2 products, then those parents should pull their children from those classes and enrich their learning through at-home, non-WOKE assignments.
A – F REPORT CARD
In 2017 a law was passed that requires the Texas Education Agency each year to rate districts' and campuses' academic performance on an A-F grading system.
If a campus receives five consecutive “F” ratings, Texas’ state law says that the Texas Education Commissioner (Mike Morath) must either shut down the campus or implement a state takeover of the district.
STAAR TEST REDESIGNED
In the 2022-23 school year (based upon the law passed by the Texas Legislature), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) redesigned the STAAR tests by including more questions requiring short answers and by testing students online (which was similar to their classroom assignments).
This Texas Education Agency link (indicating all of the changes to the spring STAAR 2023 test) was made public on 9.1.22 which gave all school personnel almost a full school year to prepare students for the spring 2023 STAAR changes -- https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/news-and-multimedia/correspondence/taa-letters/new-and-updated-staar-redesign-resources
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS WHO FEAR ACCOUNTABILITY
Back on 9.1.22, the school administrators knew this “redo” of the STAAR tests was coming.
The administrators should have made sure that their classroom teachers were aware of the upcoming changes and were making the needed adjustments in instruction.
Instead, a group of 100 like-minded school superintendents (those who did not want accountability and/or those who defied the law by teaching Type #2 curriculum) decided to sue Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath which kept the TEA from releasing the 2022-23 school year A – F Report Card grades.
Fortunately, on 4.7.25, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a unanimous victory from the Fifteenth Court of Appeals.
The ruling said that according to legislation passed by the Texas Legislature, the Texas Education Commissioner DOES have the legal authority and responsibility to issue the annual A – F Report ratings yearly. In fact, the Texas Education Code requires it.
“Thank you, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, for your efforts to make sure students, parents, and school personnel can see the results of the 2023 A – F Report Grades so that they will know how well their children have progressed yearly and be able to identify the struggling students who need extra help.”
4.24.25 – “The Public Can Now See the 2023 A – F Report Grades for All Public Schools in Texas” – Texas Education Agency -- https://conta.cc/3RuTj9t
*At the current time, the TEA remains prohibited from issuing 2024 ratings due to ongoing legal action.
STAAR TEST RESULTS RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC
So far as the STAAR test results are concerned, the Texas Education Agency makes it possible for all parents (and their children) to go online to see their child’s graded STAAR tests.
Parents can even see what answers (including essays) their child gave; and if the answers were wrong, explanations are given as to how the answers could be improved in the future.
QUOTES FROM TX. ED. COMMISSIONER MORATH
“For far too long, families, educators and communities have been denied access to information about the performance of their schools, thanks to frivolous lawsuits paid for by tax dollars filed by those who disagreed with the statutory goal of raising career readiness expectations to help students.”
“Every Texas family deserves a clear view of school performance, and now those families finally have access to data they should have received two years ago. Transparency drives progress, and when that transparency is blocked, students pay the price.”
To view 2023 A-F ratings for school systems and campuses, visit TXschools.gov.
MORE INFORMATION
6.1.25 --“Bill to scrap STAAR test dies in the Texas Legislature” – by Sneha Dey – Texas Tribune -- https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/01/texas-legislature-staar-test-bill-dies/?_bhlid=a96241c52dae27ba8553e8c317fa5858494a6a22
6.1.25 – “STAAR Test Stays in School After Lawmakers Can’t Agree on How To Replace It” – by Karen Brooks Harper – Dallas Morning News -- https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2025/06/01/staar-test-stays-in-school-after-lawmakers-cant-agree-on-how-to-replace-it/
6.1.25 – “Bill To Eliminate STAAR, Reshape Texas School Testing on Path to Legislative Death” -- By Keri Heath – Austin American-Statesman -- https://www.statesman.com/story/news/education/2025/06/01/bill-to-eliminate-staar-reshape-testing-on-path-to-legislative-death/83982418007/
4.7.25 – “Attorney General Ken Paxton Ensures Education Accountability and Transparency by Defending State Authority to Issue Public School Performance Ratings” – TAG Press Release -- https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/attorney-general-ken-paxton-ensures-education-accountability-and-transparency-defending-state
4.24.25 – “Texas Families Can See What A – F Grade Their Local Schools Received – in 2023” – by Talia Richman – Dallas Morning News -- https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2025/04/24/texas-families-can-see-what-a-f-grade-their-local-schools-received-in-2023/
11.25.23 – “My Worries Not the Usual Ones About School Choice & Education Savings Accounts” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/11-25-23-my-worries-not-the-usual-ones-about-school-choice-education-savings-accounts-by-donna-garner/
9.27.23 -- “School Choice and/or Public Vouchers – What Is Lurking in the Background?” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/9-27-23-school-choice-and-or-public-vouchers-what-is-lurking-in-the-background-by-donna-garner/
5.14.23 -- “Harmful Substitute Language Being Pushed into TX SB 8” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/5-14-23-harmful-substitute-language-being-pushed-into-tx-sb-8-by-donna-garner-3/
3.20.23 -- “Possible Major Problem with School Choice, Voucher Bills in Tex. Lege” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/3-20-23-possible-major-problem-with-school-choice-voucher-bills-in-tex-lege/
2.18.23 -- “School Choice and Nationally Normed Tests” -- By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/2-18-23-school-choice-and-nationally-normed-tests-by-donna-garner/
3.9.22 -- “My Thoughts on Charter Schools in Texas” - By Donna Garner -- https://donnagarner.org/my-thoughts-on-charter-schools-in-texas/