State Assessments
At certain grade levels, a student—with limited exceptions—will be required to pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), if the student is enrolled in a public Texas school on any day between January 1 and April 15 and is a Texas resident during the week that the TAKS is administered the first time.

In order to be promoted to grade 6, students enrolled in grade 5 must have performed satisfactorily on the Mathematics and Reading sections of the grade 5 assessment in English or Spanish.

In order to be promoted to grade 9, students enrolled in grade 8 in the 2009-10 school year must perform satisfactorily on the Mathematics and Reading sections of the grade 8 assessment in English. Parents of a student in grade 5 or 8 who does not perform satisfactorily on his or her exams will be notified that their child will participate in special instructional programs designed to improve performance. Such students will have two additional opportunities to take the test. If a student fails a second time, a grade placement committee, consisting of the principal or designee, the teacher, and the student’s parent, will determine the additional special instruction the student will receive. After a third failed attempt, the student will be retained; however, the parent can appeal this decision to the committee. In order for the student to be promoted, based on standards previously established by the district, the decision of the committee must be unanimous. Whether the student is retained or promoted, an educational plan for the student will be designed to enable the student to perform at grade level by the end of the next school year.

State-Mandated Testing
In addition to routine tests and other measures of achievement, students at certain grade levels will take state-mandated tests (such as TAKS: the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) in the following subjects:

• Mathematics, annually in grades 3–11
• Reading, annually in grades 3–9.
• Writing, including spelling and grammar, in grades 4 and 7.
• English Language Arts in grades 10 and 11.
• Social Studies in grades 8, 10, and 11.
• Science in grades 5, 8, 10, and 11.
• Any other subject and grade required by federal law.

Other Standardized Testing
Many colleges require either the American College Test (ACT) or the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) for admission. Students are encouraged to talk with the counselor early during their junior year to determine the appropriate exam to take; these exams are usually taken at the end of the junior year. (Prior to enrollment in a Texas public college or university, most students must take a standardized test, such as the Texas Higher Education Assessment.)

Testing Calendar -- Click here to load the 2009-2010 Testing Calendar (PSAT, ACT, SAT, etc.)

TEA Testing dates (this is a PDF on the TEA website)

2009-2010 Rockwall ISD Testing Calendar

General Information About TELPAS
The Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) fulfills federal requirements for assessing the English language proficiency of English language learners (ELLs) in kindergarten through grade 12 in four language domains:  listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  TELPAS reports student performance in terms of four English language proficiency levels:  beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high.  TELPAS results are used to meet state and federal reporting and accountability requirements.