Extra Credit

Paschal High School wins $500 at National Science Bowl

The Paschal High School science bowl team is back from the national finals in Washington D.C. and while they didn't take the top prize, the Fort Worth team won first place in the division team challenge and won $500 for the science club.

In the division team challenge, Paschal's team outscored the team from Mira Loma High School in Sacramento, Calif., which eventually won the National Science Bowl. The contest is run by the U.S. Department of Energy. Click here for competition results.

"This was the best performance by Paschal so far in the Science Bowl," said Andrew Brinker, the team's faculty sponsor.

Team members are: Dominic Yurk, Erik Nguyen, Abrahim Sharaf and Wyatt Reeves. 

Jessamy Brown

When is my kid taking the STAAR test?

Testing under the state's standardized exam program known as STAAR starts this week and school districts are taking to social media to remind parents. 

Last week, the Fort Worth school district posted on its website a list of tips to help children prepare for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests and the program's End-of-Course tests for high school students (EOCs).

Children should get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast.

This morning, Fort Worth ISD tweeted: "EOC and STAAR tests this week. Take your time and think. You can do this."

High school freshmen and sophomores will take STAAR end-of-course tests in certain subjects. Juniors and seniors are still tested under the Texas Assessments of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) program.

Here's the STAAR 2013 schedule as posted by the Texas Education Agency:

Monday: High school English 1 and 3 writing

Tuesday: High school English 1 and 3 reading; grades 4 and 7 writing day 1; grades 5 and 8 math

Wednesday: High school English 2 writing; grades 4 and 7 writing day 2; grades 5 and 8 reading

Thursday: High school English 2 reading

April 23: Grades 3, 4, 6 and 7 math

April 24: Grades 3, 4, 6 and 7 reading; grades 5 and 8 science

April 25: Grade 8 social studies

May 6 to 17: High school end of course tests

Jessamy Brown

 

 

Paschal, Everman High students take first place in physics, earth science in competition

Students from Everman and Paschal high schools were among the top finishers at the Fort Worth Regional Science and Engineering Fair, held on Monday at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Read more about the contest here. (R. Dominic Yurk. ST/Joyce Marshall)

The event drew more than 550 middle and high school students.

The top three Best of Fair finishers were from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Sciences.

Other first place finishers were from Summit International, Harmony School of Innovation, Harmony Science Academy, Northstar School, Liberty Christian School, North Joshua Elementary and Westlake Academy.

Paola V. Gonzalez from Everman High School took first place in the earth and planetary science division. Students from Everman took second and third place in that division as well. The school had 34 students at the competition, said Larry Ritchie, advanced placement chemistry and physics teacher.

Dominic Yurk, from Paschal High School in Fort Worth, took first place in the physics and astronomy division. And Ryan P. Parkey from Westlake Academy took first place in the medicine and health division.

In an interview with the Star-Telegram, Yurk said he is graduating in the spring and plans to attend the California Institute of Technology and study physics and computer science. Yurk, 16, is a Benbrook resident.

Jessamy Brown

 

 

 

 

Mark Kelly discusses gun control, meteor strike during UT Arlington visit

Before his appearance tonight as part of the Maverick Speakers Series at the University of Texas at Arlington, astronaut and bestselling author Mark Kelly answered questions about gun control and meteors during a 15-minute session with reporters.

Kelly, the husband of Gabrielle Giffords, the former U.S. representative from Arizona who was badly injured in an assassination attempt in 2011, said he continues to call for universal background checks before firearms purchases. He said polls show that 92 percent of Americans and 74 percent of National Rifle Association members support the idea.

"We need to stand up" and make changes, he said. "I don't personally think that the status quo is working."

Kelly said he considers himself to be from Texas as much as from his childhood home in New Jersey because of all the years he lived in the state. As such, he said, he's not against gun ownership as long as loopholes that allow buyers to bypass background checks at gun shows and in private transactions are closed.

"I don't think you'll find a stronger supporter of the Second Amendment," said the retired Navy captain, who commanded the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour in May 2011. Later he added that he enjoyed going to gun shows while living in Texas.

Taking steps like requiring universal background checks and making it harder for people to buy assault-style rifles and magazines would go far toward reducing what Kelly called a homicide rate involving firearms that's 20 times higher than those of comparable countries.

"It's pretty simple," he said of universal checks. "It takes less than five minutes."

When it comes to school safety, he finds that idea more appealing than others. "I don't think arming every teacher, principal and janitor is the answer," he said.

He said that he and Giffords plan to continue to push Congress for quick changes to the law.

Kelly also answered questions about the meteor that exploded over Russia this week, saying that just before he met with reporters he had a phone conversation with friend and former astronaut Edward Lu, whose B612 Foundation is devoted to preventing asteroids from smashing into the earth.

"From what he told me, they got lucky," Kelly said. "If the angle had been a little different or if the time it exploded had been a little different, it could have turned out much worse."

Private entities like the foundation and SpaceX will play a larger role in space travel and exploration, Kelly said. 

-Patrick M. Walker

Ninth grade passing rates on STAAR tests rise after second attempt

UPDATE:

Ninth graders who failed the STAAR end-of-course standardized tests in their initial go around did better during retakes, the Texas Education Agency announced.

Here's a link to an Associated Press report.

An excerpt: "Students who retook those tests as 10th-graders this year saw their scores in all subject areas improve dramatically, according to Education Commissioner Michael Williams.

The English I writing passing rate jumped from 54.4 percent last spring to 72.6 percent after retesting. English I reading jumped from 67.7 percent to 81.2 percent; world geography climbed to 84.8 percent from 79.7 percent; and 91 percent of students passed biology exams, up from 86.4 percent."

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/01/29/4584930/twice-is-a-charm-ninth-graders.html#storylink=cpy

And here's Tuesday's news release from the Texas Education Agency.

ORIGINAL POST:

The majority of Texas students who took the state’s new standardized exams last year passed it, results show.

Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams released results Tuesday from elementary and middle schoolers who took the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests in spring 2012.

In a news release, Williams said the passing rates for most of the tests were 70 percent or higher. Third and fourth graders posted passing rates of 68 percent on the math test.

And eighth graders posted a 59 percent passing rate on the social studies test. Education officials attributed that to new curriculum content and use of more primary sources in test questions. Eighth graders posted the highest passing percentage on the tests, with 80 percent passing the reading exam.

The new tests are designed to be harder than the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) exam. That program is being phased out. (r: 9th grader works in STAAR end of course remedial class in June 2012. ST/Ron Jenkins)

Students took STAAR tests in the same subjects that were tested on the TAKS. For grades 3 through 8, students must take tests in math and reading. Students are also tested in writing at grades 4 and 7, science at grades 5 and 8, and social studies at grade 8.

“I recognize there has been a lot of anxiety surrounding STAAR tests, but I believe these are encouraging passing rates for the first year of a new more rigorous test,” Williams said in a statement. “Clearly, we still have work to do, but I remain optimistic that passing rates will rise this spring in the second administration of the STAAR, just as they have traditionally done in the second year of a new testing program.”

Several greater Tarrant County school districts, including Fort Worth, Mansfield, Arlington and Grapevine-Colleyville, did not release scores for their students on Tuesday. Some officials said administrators want to share the scores with school trustees before releasing the data.

Fort Worth schools officials received the last of their scores from the state on Saturday, said Clint Bond, a spokesman.

“They haven’t been reviewed or analyzed. We just got some of them. The superintendent hasn’t seen them and the board hasn’t seen them,” Bond said.

This year, exam results will be used to create accountability performance ratings for school districts and campuses. No ratings were issued in 2012 as the state made the transition to the new test.

High school students must get a passing average on 15 end-of-course STAAR tests to graduate. There are three exams each in math, science, social studies, reading and writing. This year, ninth and 10th graders took the tests. Other students continue to take the TAKS. Williams has suspended a requirement that the scores count as 15 percent of the course grade.

Jessamy Brown

PBS' Independent Lens to spotlight Texas education board fight over textbooks

UPDATE

"The Revisionaries" documentary is available for viewing online at the PBS Video website through Feb. 27.

On KERA, here are showtimes to watch or record:

• Today: 10 p.m.
• Wednesday: 8 a.m., 2 p.m., 7 p.m.
• Thursday: 12 a.m., 2 a.m.
• Saturday: 11 a.m.

ORIGIONAL POST

The Texas board of education's rancorous debate over textbook standards will be the focus of a TV documentary on PBS this week. Check out the preview:

Watch Witness a Texas Showdown Over Teaching Standards on PBS. See more from Independent Lens.

 

In North Texas, KERA-13 has scheduled the episode of Independent Lens to first air at 10 p.m. on Tuesday night. (By the way, the state school board meets in Austin on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Here's the agenda).

A key player in The Revisionaries is former board president Don McLeroy, described as a "dentist, Sunday school teacher, and avowed young-earth creationist" and the 15-member state board's adoption of new science and history curriculum standards in 2010.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy weighs in here.

The show's backers say that the state board's action is important because decisions about Texas textbooks have a nationwide effect.

"Texas is one of the nation's largest textbook markets because it is one of the few where the state decides what books schools can buy rather than leaving it up to local districts, which means publishers that get their books approved can count on millions of dollars in sales. Further, publishers craft their standard textbooks based on the requirements of the biggest buyers. As a result, the Texas board has the power to shape the textbooks that children around the country read for years to come," according to a post on the PBS website.

But the extent of Texas' influence on publishing has been the subject of debate. The executive director of the Association of American Publishers' school division, Jay Diskey, told the Star-Telegram that the idea that Texas standards will be forced on other states is "really an urban myth in the year 2010."

Former Star-Telegram reporter Traci Shurley wrote on March 20, 2010: "Over the past 15 years, he said, most states have asked or required publishers to align textbooks with their own state standards. Also, digital publishing has allowed the industry to customize books, not only by state but also by district."

Jessamy Brown

UT Arlington, Japanese scientific equipment maker form $25.2 million partnership

In another step toward Tier One status, the University of Texas at Arlington will receive $7.5 million from the state's Permanent University Fund toward the formation of a three-part research technologies institute, UT System regents decided Monday.

The Institute for Research Technologies, a $25.2 million endeavor, is designed to "transform research capabilities and [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] education throughout the UT System and Texas," the university said in a news release.

UT Arlington's co-collaborator is Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, a world leader in the analytical instruments industry. The institute will include three centers: the existing Shimadzu Center for Advanced Analytical Chemistry, the new Center for Imaging and the new Center for Environmental, Forensic and Material Analysis.

“The institute will provide unlimited opportunities for scientific discovery for students, faculty members and private sector partners not only at UT Arlington but also nearby UT Dallas and UT Southwestern Medical Center," UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa said in a statement.

UT Arlington President James Spaniolo said the partnership "positions UT Arlington to become a global leader in scientific discovery and will pay untold dividends in the opportunities it affords students and vital industries.

A philanthropic commitment from Shimadzu last spring allowed UT Arlington to establish the center for advanced analytical chemistry. The Institute for Research Technologies will be made possible by an additional $18.5 million equipment purchase from Shimadzu.

The institute is meant to foster innovation across a variety of disciplines and will involve research teams from the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the School of Social Work, among others.

-Patrick M. Walker

Nobel laureate in physics will give public lecture as part of international conference at UT Arlington next month

No word on whether Sheldon, Leonard or Penny will be there, but the International Workshop on Future Linear Colliders will draw plenty of star power to the University of Texas at Arlington in late October. Particle physicists from around the world will attend, and Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg will deliver a public lecture Oct. 24.

Weinberg, the Jack S. Josey-Welch Foundation Chair in Science Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has published his ideas in books for general audiences including The First Three Minutes, Dreams of a Final Theory and Lake Views. He will speak on "The Standard Model, Higgs Boson, Who cares?" at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24. 

The semiannual conference, being held in Texas for the first time, has added significance because of the July 4 announcement from researchers at the Large Hadron Collider at the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, that they've almost certainly found the elusive Higgs boson. As the next step in discovery, the proposed International Linear Collider would be a 19.3-mile-long collider to complement and expand the work of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, said Jaehoon Yu, UT Arlington physics professor and co-organizer of the event. 

"This summer's announcement of a Higgs-like particle allows us to take the linear collider idea to the next level," Yu said. "... The linear collider could give us a host of new information about this new particle and help address other mysteries such as dark matter and dark energy." 

Scientists at the October gathering will discuss concepts for the ILC, which consists of two linear accelerators that face each other, and the Compact Linear Collider, another potential project being studied at CERN. Both colliders would ultimately reach energies of 1 TeV (trillion electron volts) or more. 

Yu and other scientists from UT Arlington's Center of Excellence for High Energy Physics have worked on the LHC for more than a decade. He and professor Andrew White are also heavily involved in plans for the International Linear Collider, an estimated $10 billion project that would take a decade to build. 

-Patrick M. Walker

All-boys school in Fort Worth set for back to school

Students at the Young Men's Leadership Academy, a new all-boys school opening this month in Fort Worth ISD, are getting ready at a three-day orientation.

The kids are picking names for their "prides," groups of students who will stick together all year. It is similar to the British house system that was in the Harry Potter stories.

Today, the 6th and 7th graders were at a Brotherhood Leadership Camp and practiced their school creed, which they will eventually learn in Latin, said principal Rodney White.

Also they had necktie tying practice and a contest. Philip Kirkland, 12, can tie a four-in-one or half Windsor knot in 10 to 12 seconds. His buddy Clarence Smith, 12, wasn't far behind. They'll get uniforms later this morning. 

Jessamy Brown

UT Arlington physicists thrilled by discovery of new particle at Geneva collider

Physicists at the University of Texas at Arlington celebrated the announcement this morning that an international research project in which they participate has discovered a new particle.

Scientists at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Geneva stopped short of claiming that the particle is the elusive Higgs boson, a theoretical particle that could explain where mass comes from, Bloomberg News reported.

“As a layman, I think I would say ‘we have it,’” CERN director Rolf-Dieter Heuer said at a news conference. It will take at least three to four years of research to fully understand the properties of the observed particle, Heuer said.

The announcement brings humankind closer to answering a millennia-old question that the ancient Greeks wrestled with: What is matter made of? The particle is a key to the Standard Model, a theory explaining how the universe is built, and its existence would help scientists gain a better understanding of how galaxies hold together. It also could open a door to exploring other parts of physics such as superparticles or dark matter that telescopes can’t detect.

The Center of Excellence for High Energy Physics at UT Arlington is part of the U.S. team contributing to the experiments, both in Switzerland and on campus, where it operates a massive computing center for the ATLAS project.

Kaushik De, director of the center, said the discovery is one of the biggest in 30 years in physics.

“Without the Higgs there would be no matter,” he said. “No stars, no planets. Only light would exist, and maybe some other unknown massless objects. Everything would move fast — at the speed of light. Nothing in the universe could move slower or faster. It would indeed be an unusual universe.”

The field that generates mass for objects is named for UK physicist Peter Higgs, who in the 1960s was one of the first scientists to outline a working theory on how elemental particles achieve mass.

Higgs was one of four of the theorists attending today’s meeting in Geneva. He wiped a tear from his eye as the findings were presented, Bloomberg News reported.

"For me, it’s really an incredible thing that it’s happened in my lifetime,” he said.

-Patrick M. Walker