Glossary No Child Left Behind. A bill signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2001. TAAS. Texas Assessment of Academic Skills. This was the old testing requirements for student curriculum objectives prior to the TAKS. TAKS. Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. The current standards used as a basis for the new national standards. TEA. Texas Education Agency. TEKS. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. SDAA II. The STATE-Developed Alternative Assessment II is an updated testing program for special education. SDAA II has been developed to better reflect good instructional practice and more accurately measure student learning. The SDAA II program like the TEKS curriculum, is vertically aligned. This means that the SDAA II tests will become more rigorous as students move from one instructional level to the next. However, the increase in rigor will be apprpriate and logical and, more importantly, will be based on the TEKS curriculum for each instructional level. Vertical alignment. In testing this means the tests become more rigorous as the student’s grade levels advance.

The national standardized testing portion of the "No Child Left Behind Act" is largely based on the State of Texas' standardized testing requirements developed by former Governor George W. Bush and his superintendant of education Rod Paige. Paige is now US Secretary of Education.

At the core is an alphabet soup of abbreviations that may seem confusing. Below is an explanation. But all you really need to know is that the people behind ProfessorsTutor understand all of this and have tailored their tutorials to meet the requirements of the "No Child Left Behind Act."

What does TAKS stand for?

TAKS means Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. It is the basis of the national standardized testing plan.

What does TEKS stand for?

TEKS means Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. It represents the core curriculum for all subject areas at the different grade levels.

What is the purpose of the TEKS?

TEKS outlines the progression and range of what students are expected to learn at their appropriate grade level.

How does the TAKS differ from the TAAS?

The TAKS is an assessment that is much more inclusive and demanding than the previous system, TAAS. The objectives and student expectations are taken from the TEKS. The TAKS attempts to ask questions in authentic ways that line up with test specific guidelines.

How do the TEKS correspond to TAKS and the TAKS to the test?

The TAKS objectives are drawn from the elements of the TEKS. The TAKS test focuses on the elements that have been identified as appropriate for testing with pencil and paper.

What material is best for TAKS preparation?

Grade appropriate scripted Lesson Plans and Student Workbooks using all three areas of the students capacity to learn: visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic.

What are some other items included in the ProfessorsTutor?

The Lesson Plans and Student Workbooks include scripted, well developed, materials that aligne with TAKS objectives. They include transparencies, logic exercises, teaching aids, manipulative exercises, practice tests, skills exercises, and comprehensive student study guides.

What type of questions are asked in the ProfessorsTutor?

There are objective and subjective questions. These methods allow students to work on concrete answers and use some of their own creativity that align with the stated objective.

Will there be more subjects and grades in the future?

Absolutely! Please check back with us regularly.