The U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 college rankings came out last week, as my colleague Nick Anderson notes, with a somewhat revamped methodology that does not escape what has been growing criticism of the enterprise. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona captured some of the criticism last year when he said that any college ranking system that values wealth, reputation and exclusivity more than economic mobility and return on investment is “a joke.” view article

Houston ISD's release of unofficial campus accountability ratings earlier this week showed school grades plummet across this district, but some say their use of methodology currently blocked by a state judge unfairly overstates the declines at many campuses. HISD utilized data and methodology provided by the Texas Education Agency to calculate campus grades, which TEA-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles then used to determine which schools will be added to his New Education System next school year. The number of HISD schools with a D or F rating jumped from 10 campuses in 2022 to 123 campuses in 2023, accounting for nearly half of the district. The number of A and B-rated schools, meanwhile, fell from 213 campuses in 2022 to 93 campuses in 2023. The TEA, however, is still blocked from releasing those ratings themselves, after a state district judge in October granted a temporary injunction in a lawsuit filed by over 100 Texas school districts, which argued that the agency's updated evaluation methodology would unduly harm school ratings. The TEA has argued that the accountability system needs to be periodically updated to set high expectations for student performance, but acknowledged that ratings could drop if even if all else remains equal. view article

Students at Copperas Cove High School will have more classes to choose from during their academic careers. On Jan. 18, the Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to add 15 new course options for CCHS students in various fields, including technology, healthcare and career development. “We are very excited to expand the course offerings at Copperas Cove High School,” CCHS principal Jimmy Shuck said. “The addition of these classes will provide our students with even more opportunities to explore and excel in diverse fields.” view article

Only 20 of the 587 San Antonio-area schools ranked by Children at Risk received an “A” grade for the 2022-23 school year, according to data released this week. Nearly half of the schools received a “D” or “F” rating. Overall, nearly as many campuses performed worse in the 2023 rankings as performed better, compared with the prior year. Half of the 10 lowest-ranked elementary schools in the state were in Bexar County in 2023. One San Antonio-area school, Basis San Antonio Shavano Campus, ranked seventh in the state for middle schools. Last year, no area schools made it into the top 10. view article

As expected, more Houston ISD teachers are resigning than normal in the wake of the state takeover and sweeping reforms. Educators blame a culture of “fear and intimidation,” while state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles has emphasized “making a choice” to be in a “high-performance culture.” view article

The fate of a new Native American studies course for Texas students is on hold as the State Board of Education delays consideration. Discussion on the American Indian/Native Studies course was expected at this month’s board meeting. However, when the agenda was posted, an initial vote on materials for the elective class was not included. view article

On Tuesday, Superintendent Mike Miles said an additional 40 schools will be a part of the NES model next school year. view article

The Austin school district has not met minimum state exam standards for students with disabilities in the past four years, according to an independent review of the district’s special education programs. Stetson and Associates, a consulting firm, conducted a review of the Austin school district’s services for students with disabilities starting during the 2019-20 academic year, although the evaluation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a change in leadership at the district. view article

TEXAS, USA — Schools have become the go-to outlet for debates over the country’s most contentious topics from race and culture to COVID-19. Mike Morath is in charge of Texas public schools as the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency (TEA). Governor Greg Abbott appointed Morath, a former Dallas ISD trustee, to lead the agency in 2016. After months of requesting an interview, Morath agreed to speak to WFAA about a range of issues facing parents and teachers in his first one-on-one interview this year. view article

A Valley school district is working to convince parents that it’s safe for their kids to be in school. Officials at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District say they’re working hard to help families feel more comfortable about students being back in the classroom. view article

The Waco Independent School District and its charter school partner, Transformation Waco, could see more than half of their students start the school year Sept. 8 via remote instruction, according to registration numbers provided by both entities. view article

Dallas ISD is in a precarious position when it comes to grading. About 86 percent of its student body is classified as economically disadvantaged, more than 25 percent higher than the state’s average. Its population of limited English speakers is almost half, more than double the state’s. There are significant challenges when it comes to making sure all of its students are receiving adequate learning despite the disruption from the pandemic. More than 12,000 hot spots were purchased for students who lacked access to internet. All of these things affect grading, especially when these kids don’t have a school to go to. view article

Lloyd Potter, researcher and director of UTSA’s Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, is supporting local Head Start and Early Head Start programs toward being more effective. Potter has worked with the City of San Antonio’s Department of Human Services Early Head Start-Child Care and Head Start Programs, and with local nonprofit San Antonio AVANCE Inc. to better assess their programs to provide information about how they are meeting the needs of the children and families they serve. view article

For years, Stephens Elementary School in Aldine ISD has been defined by the challenges that it faces rather than its academic successes. Nearly 90 percent of its students are considered economically disadvantaged by the Texas Education Agency. Nearly half are English language learners. And to state education officials, the school was failing academically. view article

A fifth grade Lumberton Independent School District student reported "vulgar" language in the STAAR reading test last month, according to information from LISD.  view article

On Nov. 9 Hays CISD released the draft of its innovation plan, which must be approved by the board of trustees in order to receive a district of innovation designation. If approved, the district would be able to make changes to the academic calendar and to exempt some Career and Technical Education instructors from teacher certification requirements. The district of innovation designation was created by the Texas Legislature in 2015 as a way to give independent school districts some of the flexibility that charters schools have under state law. While becoming a district of innovation can allow for numerous exemptions to curriculum or logistics requirements, the most-used exemption is the one that allows schools to start earlier in August. view article

Some Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District students will have the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and an associates of science degree. At a recent school board meeting, the administration provided the board with information on a pilot initiative in partnership with Lone Star College CyFair, the College Academy, which will provide 2017-18 freshman students at Cypress Lakes High School with an opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and an associates of science degree. view article

At the center of our district’s Learning Model, one of our Guiding Documents that directs all we do in LISD, is “focus on student learning.” After all, the whole reason our district exists is to provide an education to the children in our boundaries. While our teachers and staff have done an outstanding job over the years working to foster a challenging, supportive and effective learning experience, we recognize the benefit of taking a step back every so often to ensure our many educational pieces are creating a cohesive puzzle. Our last official audit was conducted nearly 20 years ago under Superintendent Tom Glenn. Since then, we have experienced incredible population growth in our area, as well as great strides in the teaching and assessment arenas.  view article

Perhaps one of the most striking characteristics of the new Crosby High School is the flood of natural light flowing throughout the building. Windows line the hallways, classrooms, offices, cafeteria, library and other rooms that would traditionally be encased in brick and mortar. The new Crosby High School opened in August 2016. It was a part of the $86.5 million bond passed in May 2013, which incorporated the high school, stadium renovations and the new baseball and softball complex. This year's freshmen students may not have anything to compare the new high school to. But, as its inaugural school year draws to an end, some may wonder what the new building looked like through the eyes of those who did walk the halls of the former Crosby High School. view article

While Jacksonville Middle School recently was identified by the Texas Education Agency as a “struggling” campus, local officials took corrective measures long ago, ensuring that things were quickly back on tract, according to schools superintendent Dr. Chad Kelly. “During the 2014-15 testing year, we received a score of less than 50 percent in social studies in eighth grade – I think it was 46 percent,” Kelly recalled. “We met all criteria last year, but even if we meet it this next year, we are still on list (according to TEA rules). We are penalized for the next two years (because of the one particular score) even though we did make corrections … you are on the list for three years.” view article

This spring, high school students throughout the U.S.—including those at Cy-Fair ISD—will be introduced to an entirely redesigned SAT as the College Board, a nonprofit organization that designs and administers the SAT, has drastically changed one of the most popular college aptitude tests in the country. Beginning in March, students will take a redesigned SAT that, according to the College Board, does away with the difficult vocabulary section and adds in more straight forward questions based on real-world college and career concepts. view article

Officials with the Texas Education Agency confirmed Thursday that the troubled La Marque school district has lost its accreditation and will be annexed by another district. In a letter addressed to the Board of Trustees and La Marque ISD, Commissioner of Education Michael Williams says the school district will be closed, effective July 1. He cites the district's rating of "academically unacceptable" for 2011 and a rating of "improvement required" in the state of Texas' academic accountability rating system for 2013 and 2014. view article

The La Marque Independent School District will officially be no more. The Texas Education Agency informed the La Marque ISD school board that the district will be annexed by another district after failing to meet standards for academic and financial accountability, TEA spokesperson Gene Acuna said. view article

Marlin Independent School District Superintendent Michael Seabolt said during Tuesday’s board of trustees meeting that he thinks Commissioner Michael Williams will decide before the end of 2015 whether the district should stay open. view article

The standardized tests Texas students will take in the spring will be harder to pass. That’s because state Education Commissioner Michael Williams this week announced tougher grading requirements. But student performance on the so-called STAAR test hasn’t improved as expected, and one education expert believes more students will fail. view article

With its refreshed, laser-sharp focus on creating a college-going culture via Operation College Bound, Socorro ISD is seeing significantly more students taking Advanced Placement courses and earning college credit through exams now than what was seen just three years ago. view article

The Texas Education Agency is taking a close look at the Donna Independent School District. The TEA is meeting with district leaders because many of their students are underperforming. Superintendent Jesus Rene Reyna said the TEA is also meeting with parents within the district. view article

The SAT scores for Dallas ISD high-school students fell this year, with only 13.3 percent of them receiving a grade considered to be college ready, according to data obtained by The Dallas Morning News. view article