Lubbock Independent School District

Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TASS) - The state mandated testing program was established in 1990-91. A criterion reference test, the TAAS, is used to measure how well students in Texas have mastered the Texas essential elements at a particular grade. The TAAS program assesses a wide range of skills in reading, writing, and mathematics, emphasizes problem solving and higher order thinking skills. The 1995 spring TAAS testing program includes testing Grades 3, 4, 5, and 7 in the areas of reading and mathematics. Grade 8 will be tested in mathematics, reading, writing, science, and social studies. Grade 4 will be tested in the areas of writing, reading, and mathematics. Grade 10 (exit level) testing includes tests in writing, reading, and mathematics. Other tests this spring include End-of-Course tests in Algebra I, Biology I, and Spanish III.

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) - Taken by more than one million high school sophomores and juniors across the nation, the (PSAT/NMSQT) measures verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities important to doing college work. Juniors who take this exam also are eligible for scholarship and enrichment programs that use the (PSAT/NMSQT) results, i.e. Merit Scholarships, Achievements Scholarships, National Hispanic Scholar Awards, and Achievement Scholarship Competition for Outstanding Black Students. Sixteen LISD students were named 1994 National Merit Semifinalists, and there were twenty-nine commended students. Seven seniors were named semifinalists for the 1994 Hispanic Awards competition.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) - Administered by the College Board, the SAT is designed to measure verbal and math skills of high school students who choose to take the exam. For the 708 LISD students who took the SAT in 1993-94, the mean verbal score was 429 and the mean mathematics score was 483. The mean verbal and math scores for Lubbock seniors exceeded the state and national mean scores.

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