North Texas schools received their annual report cards from the state on Monday.
Students at Back Elementary in Garland got their report card hand-delivered Monday by the state's education commissioner.
Back received a solid A grade after coming in barely a C a few years ago.
"It is amazing what you accomplished. Let me do what everyone should do to educators for what you’ve been able to deliver to our kids," said Education Commissioner Mike Morath as he bowed before teachers.
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Similar bows are deserved all around North Texas. The Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Sunnyvale and Frisco ISDs some of several districts scoring an A on the state's score card, which relies heavily on STAAR to measure key metrics of "achievement, growth and closing the gaps."
"The state accountability ratings show what we already know -- We provide a high-quality education for our students here in Frisco ISD," said Wes Cunningham, associate deputy superintendent of Frisco ISD.
The three biggest districts, Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, are all B districts.
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"We are very very pleased with a B, an 86 districtwide, that’s where we were pre-pandemic. That indicates we have collectively worked to make sure our students are where they were pre-pandemic," said Stephanie Elizalde, superintendent of the Dallas ISD.
"It’s one indicator of how schools and students are doing. It doesn’t tell you the whole picture of a school, but it's an important indicator," added Marcelo Cavazos, superintendent of the Arlington ISD.
Fort Worth ISD's B grade is an improvement from the C they scored on the last ranking, but they still have several campuses that need improvement.
Birdville ISD also received a B grade.
Cedar Hill was the only C district in the immediate area and Lake Worth ISD was not rated. That means they scored lower than a C.
“We are disappointed in the results. However, we will continue to work diligently with our educators to ensure that the proper tools, resources and supports are available to them so that our students can achieve academic success. I am
confident that we will demonstrate student performance improvement during the 2022-2023 school year," said Rose Mary Neshyba, superintendent of the Lake Worth ISD.
Morath broke down the data and said the low scores aren't to shame any district.
"The idea that this is some kind of rating of poverty is false," said Morath. "We know that doing this, providing clear performance information about schools, helps students and has a positive impact on students at risk."
You can review rankings at your child's district and school here.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story listed Birdville ISD as having a C grade. The story has now been corrected to show the district has received a B grade this year.
