During a news conference Tuesday Dallas Public Schools Superintendent Mike Moses unveiled the preliminary TAAS results for the school district ? the results may force administrators to rethink the contract for the seven Edison Schools in the district.

Last week school officials said the preliminary TASS results will be followed by the final results on June 1 but noted that the Edison Schools had not performed as well as they should have even when compared to last year?s TASS results. Four out of the seven Edison Schools in the district were not doing as well as the other schools that were comparable.

Preliminary data suggest that the district has 29 schools whose percentage passing statistics qualify them for exemplary status in 2002, 38 schools who qualify for recognized in 2002, and 14 who appear to be low performing in 2002. The numbers of schools whose percentage passing statistics qualified them for exemplary, recognized, or low performing status for the last three years are tabled below, according to the preliminary report.

The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) measures the statewide curriculum in reading and mathematics at grades 3 through 8 and the exit level; in writing at grades 4, 8, and the exit level; and in science and social studies at grade 8. Spanish-version TAAS tests are administered at grades 3 through 6. Satisfactory performance on the TAAS exit level tests is prerequisite to a high school diploma.

When looking at grade-by-grade results, all students are up in 2002 over 2001 in reading in all eight grade comparisons, in mathematics in all eight grade comparisons, in writing in zero of two grade comparisons (one tie), and in all tests taken in all eight grade comparisons, according to the preliminary report.

Overall, all students are up 6.7 percentage passing in reading, 6.8 percentage passing in mathematics, and 6.2 percentage passing points in all tests taken. All students are down 0.3 percentage points in writing, due to a drop in Hispanic writing, according to the preliminary report.

The district tested an additional 1,980 Hispanic students in reading, an additional 1,942 Hispanic students in mathematics, and an additional 532 Hispanic students in writing.

Because of the new state testing policy that only exempted recent immigrants, more Hispanic students took the TAAS. This is the third consecutive year of testing increasing numbers of Hispanic students with TAAS, the report said.

Despite the fact that with each increase in numbers tested the district is testing previously exempted students, Hispanic-passing rates went up across the board in reading and mathematics. The impact of the policy was primarily felt in writing where Hispanic percentage passing figures dropped slightly and in the number of low performing schools.

Schools rated exemplary under the preliminary results include: Arts Magnet, Carter, Business Magnet, Education Magnet, Health Prof. Magnet, Middle College, Public Service Magnet , Science & Engineering Magnet, TAG Magnet, Dealey 7-8, Harry Stone 7-8, Longfellow, Travis TAG 7-8, Dade, De Golyer, Douglass, Frazier , James, Harris, Hotchkiss, Stonewall Jackson , Mount Auburn, Navarro, Pease , Rhoads, Rice, Starks, Travis TAG 4-6, and Wheatley.