Parents

Parent Topics:

School Safety: Help keep our kids safe!

Parents: Please continue to help us make Freer Junior High School as safe as possible. Continue to exercise extreme caution when driving in the parking lots before, after and during school. Following all signs and keeping your speed below 10 mph around the campus will avoid accidents if a student does something unexpected. At this age, the "unexpected" should be expected.

Students: Please continue to use the sidewalks and crosswalks. By using the sidewalks and crosswalks parents and visitors know when to expect you walking and/or crossing the street. Please do not cut through cars in the parking lots at any time. The sidewalks and crosswalks are there for your safety. Please use them.

Official Testing Calendar

T.E.A. Testing and Assessment Calendar for 2005-2006 (pdf)

Volunteering

We are looking for a few good people! We encourage parental involvement at Freer Junior High School. If you are interested in being a part of the many and varied programs we have at FJH, we encourage you to fill out a volunteer form and bring it by the FJH School front office.

State Mandated Testing

The Student Assessment Division of the Texas Education Agency manages and oversees the development, administration, scoring, and analysis of the statewide assessment program. The statewide assessment program currently includes the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), the State-Developed Alternative Assessment (SDAA), and the Reading Proficiency Tests in English (RPTE).

The TAKS measures the statewide curriculum in a number of curriculum areas and at several grade levels including high school exit exams required for graduation. The RPTE tests are designed to measure annual growth in the English reading proficiency of second language learners and the comprehensive assessment of limited English proficient (LEP) students. The SDAA assesses special education students in Grades 3-8 who are receiving instruction in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) but for whom TAKS is an inappropriate measure of their academic progress. For more information on the state testing program see the following link:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/parents.html

The Student Success Initiative

The Student Success Initiative (SSI) mandates new passing requirements for students in 3rd, 5th and 8th grades. Beginning in school year 2002-2003, 3rd graders will be required to pass the TAKS reading test for promotion. In the 2004-2005 school year, 5th graders will be required to pass the TAKS reading and mathematics tests for promotion. And beginning in school year 2007-2008, 8th graders will be required to pass the TAKS reading and mathematics exams to move on to the 9th grade. As specified by these requirements, a student may advance to the next grade level only by passing these tests or by unanimous decision of his or her grade placement committee (GPC) that the student is likely to perform at grade level after accelerated instruction. To learn more about the see the following link:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/ssi /

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 was signed into law on January 8, 2002. The guiding tenets of this act address four major areas: 1) Accountability for student achievement; 2) A focus on what works in school; 3) Flexibility; and 4) Parental involvement. For more information regarding the NCLB, go here:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/

Looking Forward to High School Graduation

Junior high school may seem far removed from the high school graduation scene, but many basic requirements for graduation begin at this level. The Texas Education Agency has published a brochure titled The Student Guide to Graduation. This brochure contains a wealth of information related to high school graduation. You can go to the following link for more information on high school graduation.

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/grad/