The Rest of the Story: What the Texas A-F Letter Grades Do Not Tell You

Repost!  The 85th Texas Legislature passed a law that requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to give A-F letter grades to every public school district in the state beginning in 2018. This is the first time in Texas’ 24-year history of rating schools and districts that A-F letter grades will be given, and the change has generated controversy.  A-F letter grades: 1) increase the pressure to pay attention to state tests; 2) ignore most non-test-based school quality factors; 3) demoralize teachers, students and parents; 4) do not explain the underlying causes of either “good” or “bad” ratings; and, 5) are assigned as single-character ratings to schools and districts after an entire school year has ended. view article  

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You did better than they expected. - js - webmaster@texasisd.com  

Statement on A-F grading of school districts

Nothing is fair about this simplistic, test-driven system that doesn’t reflect how schools are progressing and serving their students and communities view article  

New From TEA

• PEG (Public Education Grant) List for 2019–20  8/17
• August 7, 2018 Subject: New Instructional Facility Allotment (NIFA); Online Application for Funding8/14
• School Year 2016–2017 (Fiscal Year 2017) Final IDEA-B LEA MOE Compliance Reviews
• 2018–2019 STAAR Interim Assessments Available 8/7
• Prekindergarten and the National School Lunch Program Guidance for 2018-2019 8/1
• Required Annual Notification of Nondiscrimination in Career and Technical Education Programs 8/1
• Inter-District Transfers - 2018–2019 Updates to Census Data–Based Federal Grant Formula Allocation Procedures 7/26
• Minutes of Operation - Updates to House Bill (HB) 2442 for Half-Day Prekindergarten Programs 7/17
• 2018 List of Approved Tests for Assessment of English Learners 7/16
• 2018-2019 Teacher Shortage Areas and Loan Forgiveness Programs 7/16

Preventive Law: You Can Do It! Redactions Under the Public Information Act

The Texas Public Information Act (the “PIA”) gives members of the public the right to request access to government information. While the requested information is presumed public, the PIA provides exceptions to disclosure. These exceptions fall into two main categories: those that require a ruling from the Office of the Attorney General and those that allow the governmental body to make redactions on its own. The most common of the exceptions you can apply on your own are FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and sections 552.117, 552.130, and 552.147 of the Government Code.

Beaumont ISD board votes to change stadium’s name

Beaumont ISD's board voted Thursday night to strip former superintendent Carrol "Butch" Thomas' name from the stadium, after a heated meeting packed with opponents of the change who said the three-year-long battle over the name had become a war. The Carrol A. "Butch" Thomas Educational Support Center will be renamed "Beaumont ISD Memorial Stadium." The board voted 6-0 with one abstention in favor of the change, which will include adding bronze plaques to recognize all of the city's current and former high schools and school districts at the stadium. view article  

Room for improvement?: Little Elm ISD administration, parents shocked by TEA rating

It didn’t take long for parents and administrators to jump to the district’s defense after the Texas Education Agency rated it lower than expected. On Wednesday, the TEA released accountability ratings for the 2017-18 school year. All Little Elm ISD campuses received an overall rating of “Met Standard” and the district received a “C” letter grade. “This new system in no way provides parents and community members with a true representation of the performance or opportunities that schools across Texas are providing students. view article  

Dallas Taxpayers To Vote On Property Tax Increase For School Funding

The Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees voted Thursday night to ask voters for the district’s first tax rate increase in more than a decade. The ballot measure voters will weigh in on this November would raise the district’s maintenance and operation tax by 13 cents — from $1.04 to $1.17, the highest rate the state allows. view article  

Marshall ISD ‘disappointed’ by state’s new A-F ‘D’ rating district

Districts and campuses across the state received their new “A-F” district ratings and individual campus ratings of “met standard” or “improvement required” on Wednesday as part of the Texas Education Agency’s annual accountability ratings. Marshall ISD Superintendent Jerry Gibson said during a press conference at the district on Wednesday that he was disappointed by the state’s “D” rating for his district but insisted the school did make extensive academic gains, increasing STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) test scores by 74 points. view article  

Houston ISD Avoids a Takeover and HISD Board Members Get to Still Be in Charge

Heavy equipment growled and screeched and construction workers hollered as they hustled about outside but there was no way they could be louder than the exaltations and exhuberations at the press conference/pep rally/prayer meeting that played out inside Worthing High School Wednesday morning. Houston ISD had dodged a bullet. The Texas Education Agency preliminary rankings were out and the district's schools had improved enough that there would be no takeover of the district by the state. view article  

Grand Prairie ISD Superintendent May Move Out Of Home And District

After months of controversy,it appears Grand Prairie ISD superintendent Dr. Susan Hull may be moving out of the district. A memo from GPISD school board president Burke Hall recommends deleting two items from Hull’s contract. view article  

Texas school administrators say TEA’s new grading system doesn’t evaluate districts fairly

The Texas Education Agency released overall school district rankings on an A through F scale Wednesday, but for the Texas Association of School Administrators, the TEA's new school grading system doesn't evaluate districts fairly. "We are all for accountability, but we really believe in a comprehensive model — and we feel like the new A through F model is more of just a snapshot," said Casey McCreary with TASA. view article  

Lewisville ISD is looking for ideas on how to address its financial issues

With a financial situation as challenging as what Lewisville ISD is facing, district leaders say getting input from a few more people couldn't hurt. The district is moving forward with a community budget advisory committee, which will be in charge of reviewing the budget and will provide short-term and long-term ideas for increasing revenue and decreasing expenditures. This comes as the district is facing an $8.5 million shortfall in the general fund for the 2018-19 school year, according to the proposed budget. view article  

Lawsuit claims election code violations; FISD teacher says petition is intimidation attempt

A local teacher says a former Frisco ISD School Board candidate is using a lawsuit to bully her and two others, and she has appealed to the community for help with legal expenses. But the plaintiff said he is the one who has been treated unfairly. Jeff Snowden, who unsuccessfully ran against Anne McCausland for Place 4 in May 2017, filed a lawsuit against FISD teacher Megan DeWolfe, as well as Tracy Gamble and Brian Ravkind, all who supported McCausland, claiming multiple errors in campaign finance reporting. view article  

Are Texas High Schools Failing to Help Students Register to Vote?

More than 183,000 high school seniors “may be missing the chance to register to vote” because a 1985 election law isn’t being followed by school districts or enforced by the Texas Secretary of State, concludes a recent study by the Texas Civil Rights Project. The League of Women Voters, however, draws a much different conclusion in its own study regarding compliance with the law. The dueling studies, released within the span of a month, address a state with a history of low voter participation and highlight an obscure law passed more than three decades ago aimed at increasing civic participation among a younger demographic that historically has a bad record of voting. view article  

Editorial: Making the grade for public education

School starts today in Amarillo Independent School District. However, it is not too early to start talking grades. For the first time, the Texas Education Agency is releasing today grades for school districts - specifically letter grades based on the traditional “A” through “F” grading system. view article  

Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees talks taxes, security, A-F Accountability

The Lufkin ISD Board of Trustees set the 2018-19 tax rate, announced new security measures and addressed the TEA A-F Accountability Ratings Thursday night. This year, the board approved a property tax rate of $1.45 per $100 of a property’s valuation, which Chief Financial Officer Charlotte Bynum said is lower than expected. Exactly $1.17 of that is used for manufacturing and operational costs, and 28 cents makes up the interest and sinking rate. The initial projections for the tax rate were higher.  If passed, the district projected the bond would increase the interest and sinking rate by 28.05 cents, according to Lufkin ISD administrators. The total tax rate would have increased to $1.4935. view article  

Third time’s the charm: Dallas ISD board sends 13-cent tax ratification to voters

Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa flashed a little smile beneath his salt-and-pepper mustache before the vote went down. After three years of trying, DISD will finally present a 13-cent tax increase to voters on the November ballot. “At least I didn’t strike out,” Hinojosa said. “I’ve played a lot of baseball, and at least I didn’t strike out. I had two strikes.” view article  

‘Return of the Nac:’ Nacogdoches ISD hosts upbeat convocation for faculty, staff

NACOGDOCHES, TX (KTRE) -Every staff and faculty member attending the 2018 Nacogdoches ISD convocation found a black T-shirt with 'Return of the Nac'  printed on the front waiting for him or her.  It's the message Interim NISD Superintendent Alton Frailey left listeners thinking. Frailey told teachers he wants the district to strive toward achievement and have a reputation for which the community can be proud.  These kinds of gatherings usually end and start in an upbeat way. It began with faculty and staff taking a lighthearted look at themselves. Videos of them dancing to popular music set the relaxed tone.  view article  

Education Austin fears new school grading system will destabilize public education

Schools across Texas will be given a letter grade from the Texas Education Agency on Wednesday, a change from their previous “pass/fail” system. During the last legislative session, a house bill created criteria to determine academic performance of Texas schools -- student achievement, school progress and 'closing the gaps.' On Wednesday, districts and schools are given a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F for their overall performance. view article  

Lake Travis ISD starts school year with 100% seat belt equipped buses

Austin ISD doesn't go back to school until Monday, August 20, but Lake Travis, Bastrop, Lockhart, Wimberley and Liberty Hill are among the Central Texas school districts getting a jump on things and starting school Wednesday, August 15. And Lake Travis ISD might just be home to the safest school bus fleet in Texas. Lake Travis invested a lot of time and money updating their buses over the summer. The end result is all the buses in their fleet that didn't have seat belts... even the older buses... now do. view article  

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and State Senator Joan Huffman Pen Letters Requesting TRS Avoid Raising TRS-Care Premiums

The Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, sent a letter to the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Board of Trustees regarding the retiree health care program, TRS-Care. Patrick is asking the TRS Board not to raise retiree premiums for TRS-Care. This letter was bolstered by a similar letter from Senator Joan Huffman (R – Houston), Chairman of the Senate State Affairs Committee. Senator Huffman’s committee is charged with oversight of matters related to TRS in the Texas Senate. The board is considering raising the health care premiums for non-Medicare participants by $50 per month starting in Jan. 2019. The board is scheduled to meet Sept. 20, 2018. view article  

Houston ISD shuts down charter school just two weeks before classes start

There are just days left until the start of the Houston ISD school year and hundreds of parents are left scrambling to find a new school for their kids because the district has abruptly cancelled its affiliation with a charter school. Suddenly, Kandy Stripe Academy Charter School will not open this upcoming school year. Many parents are just finding out and were told by automated voice message. Rosalinda Scallion, a parent at Kandy Stripe is furious. view article  

Santa Fe parents get final security review before school starts

More than 150 parents and students gathered at Santa Fe High School’s auditorium Thursday to hear one last review of the security enhancements that implemented by the district before students return to school on Monday. Some changes were evident the moment folks stepped onto the school’s campus. Construction crews are racing to lay carpet and finish renovations to the high school’s enhanced security vestibule. Metal detectors are stationed at three entry points across the campus.  view article  

Midland ISD Bullying Committee presents recommendations

Midland Independent School District Board of Trustees met Tuesday evening to discuss a packed agenda, and receive an update from the bullying committee. MISD Executive Director of Student Services, Teresa Moore, presented the committee’s recommendations to the school board. view article  

San Angelo ISD staff learn how to respond to active shooter events

Lake View High School staff members jumped in their seats as audio of gunshots sounded inside the auditorium Tuesday evening. The recording was part of an hourlong active shooter training that will be provided to all San Angelo ISD staff. The Unified Response to Active Shooter Events training, as it is known, is a joint effort of local law enforcement and the San Angelo Fire Department.  view article  

Safer Schools: State senators want mental health training for all staff

As students and staff head back to class, Texas lawmakers suggested a renewed focus on mental health and school safety. The Senate Select Committee on School Violence and School Security met over the summer to hear testimony from experts and the public, culminating in a report full of recommendations for the Legislature to address next session. view article  

Ector County ISD accepts Tom Crowe’s resignation, hires interim superintendent

In a meeting Tuesday night Ector County ISD said goodbye to their current superintendent while welcoming in an interim. view article  

Grand Prairie ISD superintendent moving out of $700K district-owned home

Grand Prairie ISD's highly paid superintendent is moving out of her district-owned home. The move comes more than a year after a FOX 4 investigation first exposed that the superintendent was living in a nearly $700,000 house bought by tax dollars. The board voted Thursday night to remove the home from Superintendent Dr. Susan Simpson Hull’s contract and to allow her to live outside the district. view article  

Dallas school district gets a B, but state’s new accountability system should get an A

As we prepare for the start of a new school year, let's talk a little bit about accountability. It's a term that gets tossed around a lot, but we get the sense that it is not as thoroughly understood as it is criticized. The Texas Education Agency this week released the results of the state's latest accountability system. That system has come under fire for its emphasis on standardized tests, but it strikes us as a sensible approach to the work that needs to be done to push for what TEA Commissioner Mike Morath characterizes as "continuous improvement." view article  

5 tips to avoid shiny objects and get your kid on the road to real success in school

Here are five tips as you prepare to send your children to school this fall. These suggestions especially are offered for parents experiencing the poignant ritual of sending their children to school for the first time. I still recall the tears that welled up in my eyes as my wife and I walked to the car after dropping our children off for the first day of kindergarten. Trust me, this is not an easy rite of passage.  view article  

Pine Tree teachers told to ‘disrupt status quo’ at annual convocation

A former educator charged Pine Tree ISD teachers to be “disruptors of the status quo” during the district’s convocation Wednesday. Ken Williams taught and led Georgia and Maryland schools for nearly 20 years before he founded Unfold the Soul, a professional development organization that trains educators and entrepreneurs. Williams delivered the keynote speech during the ceremony in the Pine Tree Road auditorium. His presentation, “Disruptors or Defenders?” challenged Pine Tree teachers to dismiss labels such as “economically disadvantaged” and “English language learner” and teach material essential to students’ lives after high school. view article  

Austin ISD announces clear bag policy at sporting events

Starting Aug. 30, Austin Independent School District is enforcing a clear bag policy at district athletic events. The policy will be enforced at Burger Stadium, Delco Center, House Park Athletics Facility, Nelson Field and Noack Sports Complex. view article  

How San Antonio-area schools outside Bexar County ranked in TEA ratings

The results are in. Only one school district in the areas surrounding San Antonio received a failing grade in the Texas Education Agency's state accountability rankings released Wednesday. Of the 15 traditional school districts in Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall and Medina counties, two received As, one received a C, and two were not rated. The majority earned Bs. The surrounding school districts scored generally better than the traditional districts inside Bexar County, which averaged 78.5, a C. view article