For the first time since the COVID pandemic began, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released its accountability ratings for the state’s school districts and individual campuses.
Nazareth ISD elementary/secondary came out on top among schools in Castro County, scoring an A or 98 out of 100.
Hart ISD elementary/secondary earned a solid B, scoring 81 out of 100.
Dimmitt ISD came out with an overall C among all three campuses. Dimmitt High School – C - 79 out of 100; Dimmitt Middle School – C 77 out of 100; and Richardson Elementary – C - 76 out of 100.
The TEA released A through F ratings for 1,195 school districts and 8,451 campuses. According to the accountability report, in 2022, 25% of districts and 33% of school campuses increased in letter grades from where they were in 2019.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said there were still schools and districts that received Ds and Fs, but those grades won’t count this year, per Senate Bill 1365, and will give a ‘not rated’ score those campuses and districts with scores below 70.
Morath said while TEA will be providing A, B and C ratings, they are not formally giving a D or F label due to systems recovering from the pandemic. Forty-two districts and 564 campuses received the ‘not rated’ label.
The overall score is measured through three different measurements -- student achievement, school progress, which includes academic growth and relative performance, and 'closing the gap.' For elementary school students, achievement is 100% calculated through the STAAR test. That’s the same for middle schools. In high school, the STAAR accounts for 40% of student achievement, with another 40% from college, career or military readiness and 20% on graduation rates.
Student academic growth and relative performance also weigh in. Relative performance takes into account performance, but Morath was quick to point out that ‘poverty does not equal destiny’ with 18% of all high-poverty campuses scoring 90 or above.
Individual school campuses and districts are given A through F ratings in student achievement, school progress and closing the gap. Then the overall rating for the campus or district is calculated. The TEA takes the best of the student achievement or school progress to make up 70% of the grade and then 30% is from ‘closing the gap.’ The final score measures how much students are learning in each grade and whether or not they are ready for the next grade. It also shows how well a school or district prepares their students for success after high school in college, the workforce, or the military.