Avalon ISD announced the results of the district’s 2009 TAKS testing. According to school administration, based on preliminary results from all tests taken this school year and an evaluation of all subgroups, Avalon anticipates maintaining the state rating of “Recognized” for the fourth consecutive year.

Official results and ratings will be released by the Texas Education Agency on July 31st.

Avalon’s overall TAKS district results for grades three through eleven were: Reading/ELA – 95%, Writing – 89%, Mathematics – 87% Social Studies – 91% and Science – 85%.

In order to have “Recognized” status your TAKS test scores have to be above 75%. To have “Exemplary” status your TAKS test scores have to be 90% and above.

“Ninety percent is the exemplary number so that is what we are striving for. We are closer to the bottom of the exemplary number than we are the bottom of the recognized number,” explained David DelBosque (Avalon ISD superintendent). DelBosque went on to say, “This is an incredible set of numbers especially for science. We have one of the top scores in science state wide. We are out performing almost every district in the state in science. That is pretty remarkable.”

Delbosque says the reason for the high science scores is lots and lots of hands on and lab work. Every student has their own lab kit.

“It is kind of like drivers ed, I can give you the keys, and give you the car and tell you that you now can drive. But if you don’t actually do it, it is not going to happen. I think science is the same way. Here is your lab kit, this is what has to happen, now you do it, and you work through it. Last month we sent our science teacher to a workshop at the University of Houston. They had some reknown scientists teaching a workshop on DNA extraction. There were some pretty high powered scientists and some pretty high powered people that were presenting this. So our teacher came back with the most wonderful experience and now she can actually teach that to our kids,” explained Delbosque.

When asked why he thought Avalon ISD received such high scores, DelBosque replied, “It starts in Pre-K with building a foundation. You have to assess what level your students are at and then make adjustments based on your assessment. If you are involved in education it should be your mission in life to make sure that when each student graduates from high school, that those students can make decisions and are prepared, if you have not done that then you have failed and are in the wrong business. To be a teacher you have to commit to it, it is not a job, not a paycheck. The day that you feel you don’t want to get out of bed and come to work that is the day you should consider doing something different because you are cheating somebody out of what is rightfully theirs which is an education. We take our work very seriously. You have to have high expectations. Our school is a remarkable place, with remarkable staff and students. Together we make a difference.”