Cost of testing in Texas

On Tuesday March 22, 2011, Phillip Martin posted a blog titled Cost of Standardized Testing in Texas Increases Ten-Fold From 2000-2009 in which he shows evidence from several sources that the cost of standardized testing in Texas has increased ten-fold from 2000-2009. In this blog Phillip paste a excerpt from the Austin American-Statesman by Jason Embry that explains that as the Texas student population changes the demands on schools and students alike have also changed. Some of these changes include a TAKS, or Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, given to all students, and students in grades three, four, and eight are required to pass the reading section of the TAKS in order to advance to the next grade. I believe Phillips intended audience are Texas taxpayers, because his last paragraph in the blog is an excerpt from a 2009 Statesman blog that says "taxpayers will pay about 93 million this year to administer standardized tests to Texas students, or nearly ten times the cost of just nine years earlier". I think the author is credible, as most of his blog is excerpts from the Austin American-Statesman, which is a credible source. Using these excerpts from the Austin American-Statesman also helps justify his argument that the cost of test have in fact increased ten-fold from 2000-2009.