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TAKS
TAKS Master Products
TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books
 Prepare your students for state-mandated assessment with TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books. The series targets the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) objectives for grades 3 through 8 in reading, writing, and mathematics.
FAQ About TEKS/TAKS
 Get a better understanding of the TEKS and the TAKS by reading the questions and answers below.


 
  • What does TEKS stand for?
    TEKS is the acronym for the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. The TEKS represent the basic curriculum for each subject area at each grade level in Texas.
  • What does TAKS stand for?
    "TAKS" stands for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, which is a state standardized test.
  • What does TAAS stand for?
    "TAAS" stands for Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, which is the previous state standardized test. It was last administered during the 2001-2002 school year.
  • What is the purpose of the TEKS?
    The TEKS outline the "scope and sequence" of what students are supposed to learn at each grade level. The TEKS indicate what students should learn and when they should learn it. The TEKS replaced the Essential Elements (EE's), the prior curriculum/scope and sequence used in Texas. The original Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tested specific skills found in the EE's. Later, the TAAS was revised to address specific skills found in the TEKS.
  • What has happened to the TAAS?
    The TAAS was administered for the last time during the 2001-2002 school year. Beginning in the 2002-2003 school year, students in Texas will take the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS).
  • How does the TAKS differ from the TAAS?
    The TAKS is a more-comprehensive, more-challenging examination than the TAAS. The objectives and student expectations addressed on the TAKS are taken directly from the TEKS. The TAKS also includes different question types than those found in the TAAS and attempts to ask questions in more authentic ways.
  • How do the TEKS relate to TAKS objectives and the TAKS test?
     The TAKS objectives are drawn from the TEKS. Not all TEKS are tested in the yearly TAKS test. The TAKS test focuses on the TEKS that the state has deemed appropriate for pencil-paper tests.
  • What does it mean when the TEKS curriculum and the TAKS program are described as vertically aligned?
     The curriculum and tests become more rigorous as students advance from grade to grade.
  • Which ECS products are best for TAKS preparation?
    ECS TAKS preparation is a complete program that meets every need: diagnosis, practice, evaluation, re-teaching/remediation, and reinforcement. The following ECS TAKS MASTER® products will provide the support your students need:
    TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books
    TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books     (Spanish Version)
    TAKS MASTER® Power Practice for School and Home
    TAKS MASTER® Practice Tests
    TAKS MASTER® Quick Review™ Series
  • Are the TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books simply revisions of the old TAAS MASTER™ books?
    TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books address the content and format of the TAKS. These books are new. They are not revisions of the old TAAS MASTER™ books.
  • When will the new TAKS MASTER™ Student Practice Books be available?
    All TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books are in print.
  • What other ECS materials are useful for TAKS preparation?
    The TestSMART® series (reading, math, language arts) address most of the skills tested on the TAKS. The TestSMART® series includes the following:
    Reading, Gr. 2 through Gr. 8
    Math, Gr. 3 through Gr. 8
    Language Arts, Gr. 2 through Gr. 8
  • What other practice items are included in TestSMART® books?
    The TestSMART® books also include practice items for other kinds of standardized tests that students might have to take.
  • What types of questions are asked in TestSMART® books?
    The TestSMART® books include both objective questions (one right answer) and open-ended or performance-based questions (students must create an answer).
  • Are there any Spanish titles in the TAKS MASTER® line?
    We currently offer Spanish TAKS MASTER® Student Practice Books for reading and math in grades 3-6. Please continue to check back here at "FAQ About TEKS/TAKS" for updates on new releases.
  • Do you offer TAKS prep materials for social studies or science?
    Unfortunately, we do not currently offer TAKS prep materials for subjects other than reading, mathematics, and writing. While materials for other tested subject areas are not scheduled for production at this time, please continue to check back here at "FAQ About TEKS/TAKS" for any updates.

 

 

 

 

 
Step up to TAKS
 

GF Educators, Inc. is continuing to provide the same ‘on-target’ test preparation materials with our Step Up to the TAKS books as we did with our Step Up to the TAAS books.  Step Up to the TAKS meets the specifications published by the Texas Education Agency for the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and includes the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.

 

On-Target Practice Material
Step Up to the TAKS has evolved from Step Up to the TAAS to meet the 'STEP-UP' in the curriculum. Step Up to the TAAS was widely used by teachers with a hundred thousand copies circulated statewide. With the Step Up to the TAKS we have taken the time to produce the same quality 'on-target' practice books that model questions from the released tests.


 
 

Why is Step Up to the TAKS so popular with teachers?

 *   ‘Sample for Analysis’ pages to model the process of thinking through solutions 

 *   Questioning like the test

 *   Wrong Answer choices like the test

 *    Covers all Concepts and Formats seen on past test

 *    Assessments after each concept to Measure Mastery

 *    Simple to Complex order of the concepts in the book

 *    Full pages of practice problems