Rep. Terry Wilson

Over the last eight months, I have received more communication from the district about the Speaker of the House than any other topic. Some think he should be replaced; some think he is the only one with any sense. Spending the 140 days of the regular session immersed in the culture and process of the legislature has given me a slightly different perspective on the issue than I had going in, one I feel deserves sharing.

The problem with singling out one member of the legislature, one leadership team, or one Speaker of the House as being the problem is that it assumes that the problem lies with the person and not with the power itself.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

State Rep. Terry Wilson of Marble Falls is a co-sponsor of a bill that would eliminate reliance upon standardized testing to evaluating teachers while reducing the importance of standardized testing in school accountability.

House Bill 1333, authored by Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, has also received support from 28 other legislators on both sides of the aisle, showing clear bi-partisan support for revamping of the state's school accountability system.

The bill calls for giving school districts the choice of which standardized testing platform to use, whether State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) or any other standardized test which complies with the Texas Esssential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that are set by the Texas Education Agency.