Hundreds Ditch TAKS Retest
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Lang Middle School's TAKS retest saw lots of empty seats Tuesday.
School officials said only about one-fourth of the Dallas Independent School District students scheduled to retake the math portion of the TAKS test took the test.
The Texas Education Agency threw out the scores of 407 eighth-graders at Lang Middle School in Dallas earlier this month because of "significant and severe" irregularities.
The students were required to retake the test, but DISD officials said just over 100 students showed up for the retest Tuesday.
Students must pass the math and reading portions of the test to move on to ninth grade.
A committee will decide whether the close to 300 students who didn't show up for the retake will go on to the ninth grade in the fall. Committee members will look over the students' grades from the past year.
Some parents who dropped their kids off at Lang Middle School before the exam's 8:30 a.m. start time said they were upset their children had to take the test for a second time.
"I don't like it," Lacresha Hood said. "I think it's a bunch of bull. He already took it one time and he shouldn't have to retake. It's not fair to them."
But other parents said they didn't mind. Mariana Hernandez, whose son would have to retake the test, said she wants to make sure her son's TAKS scores are legitimate.
Officials are still investigating the "breach in security" that led to the retesting.
