Texas Education Agency Releases Accountability Ratings for 2022-23 School Year
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released its accountability ratings for the 2022-23 school year, after a 19-month legal battle with over 120 school districts. The ratings were initially delayed due to a lawsuit filed by the districts, which claimed that the TEA had changed the criteria for scoring high schools without sufficient notice.
Houston ISD Receives C Grade
Houston ISD (HISD) received a C grade, or a 72, for the 2022-23 school year. This is a significant drop from the previous year, when the district earned a B grade of 88. HISD saw a 16-point drop, which is one of the largest declines in the state.
Other Houston-Area School Districts
Other Houston-area school districts received the following grades:
- Conroe, Cy-Fair, Katy, Montgomery, Pasadena, and Pearland ISDs: B
- Alief, Channelview, Columbia-Brazoria, Fort Bend, and Spring Branch ISDs: C
- Aldine and Galveston ISDs: D
Legal Battle Over Accountability Ratings
The TEA was blocked from releasing its accountability ratings due to a lawsuit filed by school districts. The districts claimed that the TEA had changed the criteria for scoring high schools without sufficient notice. The TEA had raised the threshold for receiving an A grade from 60% to 88%, which the districts argued was unfair.
Impact of the Ratings
The accountability ratings are used by parents to choose which school district and campus to send their children to. The ratings are also used by the TEA to decide when to intervene in a school district. HISD, for example, was taken over by the state in June 2023 due to poor performance at one of its high schools.
What’s Next
A separate lawsuit is currently blocking the release of the 2023-24 ratings. The TEA is also facing legislation that would prevent school districts from blocking the release of annual ratings through legal challenges. The proposed bill would also give the state more flexibility to modify and increase the rigor of its scoring system.
Performance of Individual Schools
Some individual schools in the Houston area saw significant drops in their ratings. Wheatley High School, for example, saw its score drop from a 78 to a 65. Kashmere High School also saw its score drop, from a 68 to a 62.
Conclusion
The release of the 2022-23 accountability ratings has significant implications for school districts in the Houston area. While some districts saw improvements in their ratings, others saw significant declines. The legal battle over the ratings has highlighted the challenges faced by school districts in meeting the state’s accountability standards. As the state continues to modify and increase the rigor of its scoring system, school districts will need to adapt and improve their performance to meet the new standards.
