Students prepare for TAKS

Some might say special education students have even more pressure on them to pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test, but one 10-year-old fourth-grader doesn't think so.

" 'Cause I know I can do it," she said.

The 10-year-old, who attends Zavala Magnet Elementary, learns with a modified curriculum specifically for special education students.

Through one-on-one help with a teacher or assistance in small groups based on their needs, the young girl prepares for the TAKS, said Denise Denman, Zavala special education inclusion teacher.

Denman works with about 15 students from first- to fourth-grade, and prepares them for one of three versions of the TAKS they'll take - TAKS Alternative, TAKS Modified or TAKS Accommodated.

Special education students take the math portion of the TAKS test starting Tuesday along with regular education students.

Denman works with students - while they learn in a regular education classroom - by using acronyms, reading stories or teaching methods focusing on memorization or association to help students prepare for the TAKS test.

She'll also pull some students out of class for 45 minutes or work with them for about an hour during the school's magnet time.
Zavala Magnet Elementary principal Yesenia Sandoval said that in years past students could test on a different grade level if on pace, but now the students must pass on the grade level they're enrolled in.

"It's just modified to meet their needs," she said.

Denman said special education students and their teachers feel pressure to prepare the students for the test.

"We're all working as hard as we can to close the learning gaps," she said. "It's very difficult."

The fourth-grader said Denman's assistance along with the small group exercises focusing on manipulation and other skills gives students confidence for the test.

"I'm studying more with the help they're giving me," the 10-year-old said.