On Thursday, Texas parents and students found out their schools’ rating — a letter grade ranging from A to F — based on a newly-issued report from the state.
The 2019 Accountability Ratings were released to the public on Thursday, one day after the state’s independent school districts were given the official report issued by the Texas Education Agency.
Of the largest districts, Fort Worth ISD received a "C" grade, Dallas ISD received a "B" grade, Frisco received an "A" grade, Lewisville received a "B," Arlington received a "B" — an improvement over last year's "C" score — Garland received a "B" and Plano received an "A".
On Thursday, Education Commissioner Mike Morath commended the hundreds of districts and schools which increased their overall rating from last year. He specifically recognized Bradenburg Elementary School in the Irving Independent School District.
"In many cases, it seems like a miracle but it is not a miracle. It is the result of extraordinarily dedicated professionals who love children with all of their hearts and all of their brains," Commissioner Morath said. "There are 8,200 campuses in the state of Texas. Out of all of those campuses, only 68 jumped from the equivalent to a 'C' to an 'A'. Brandenburg Elementary is proof-positive that poverty is not destiny."
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This is the second year for the letter grade ratings, similar in style to the grades that students are assigned in their classes.
The ratings are based upon three main indicators:
- Student Achievement, which takes several factors into account including performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests and graduation rates
- School Progress, which compares a district and a school’s performance relative to its performance in the prior year
- Closing the Gap, which is an effort to ensure that all students, including racial minorities, low income students and students for whom English is a second language, are learning and improving
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Superintendent Dr. Elijah Granger said 88 percent of their student population is economically disadvantaged and most are minorities. Superintendent Granger said for them, it is important that the curriculum is "culturally sensitive".
"Which means that students can see themselves in the lessons, they can make connections. They can make real world connections when they’re being taught in class," he explained. "They can see themselves in the stories. They’re able to understand and able to relate to certain people in the stories."
These are the North Texas school districts that achieved an A rating from the TEA in 2018:
Collin County
Allen ISD
Celina ISD
Frisco ISD
Lovejoy ISD
McKinney ISD
Melissa ISD
Plano ISD
Princeton ISD
Prosper ISD
Wylie ISD
Dallas County
Coppell ISD
Highland Park ISD
Sunnyvale ISD
Denton County
Argyle ISD
Northwest ISD
Tarrant County
Carroll ISD
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD
Keller ISD
Mansfield ISD
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