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For those of you who don't know, I'm from the great state of Texas where everything is supposedly bigger. I've been to other states, we are in fact normal sized.

In this ever so grand state, our congress just met. This is a not an annual event, in fact, if I recall correctly the congress in Texas meets every other year for a very short amount of time. Yet our constitution is over 300 pages, figure that one out.

But I digress, what I was hoping to bring to your attention was a couple of things that occurred while our reps were hanging out.

First, they staged a walk-out. This was to make a point that they want the current speaker of the house out of his position. Join me in my laughter at this most wonderfully humorous event, hahahah.

The second is this, they got rid of the TAKS and have made a movement for "End of Course Exams". This, ladies and gentlemen, is a magnificent, blessed thing. The TAKS is the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. It is our state-wide standardized test. It lived the typical life-span of a standardized test, about three or four years. It should be gone by 2012, hoozah.

Again, for those who don't know: Texas was one of the first two or three states to place a standardized test throughout the entire state. They were one of the first states to create a state-wide assessment that ensures that educators are teaching the curriculum created in a state board made up of educators, lawyers, politicians, administrators, more educators and parents. They created a state-wide curriculum base called the TEKS, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, that they feel is necessary to be taught, and they keep it updated.

Based on this curriculum they make a standardized test, we've gone through six or seven now. Each one lasting that average three or four years before being replaced. And an additional few years while a new test is being developed. Ever wonder where Bush got his ideas for No Child Left Behind? Tada! From his home state of course.

I used to think standardized testing was a dumb idea; of course that was when I was taking them. Now, that I'm in school to become an educator and learning more about how the system works. They don't seem as useless. However, the current style of testing doesn't work. It's time for something new.

End of Course Exams can be found in foreign countries throughout Asia and Europe, please note the fact they are smarter than us Americans. These tests are more efficient because they make each teacher more accountable for the curriculum that the state decides they should teach. So, they spend more time teaching what they should be so they don't lose their job because all their kids fail. They spend less time teaching whatever they feel like at the time, and teach what they should.

Due to this new accountability, teachers are teaching what they should when they should. The next year's teacher isn't trying to teach what the prior year's educator should have been teaching. End of Course Exams, and accountability. Amen, fluidity. Children, students, exiting at the level of intelligence that they should be. And when the test gets to easy, it's time to change the curriculum.

All in all, I guess I'm really just saying "Good Job Texas, you did something smart."