by Kelli Weldon
AISD sees higher graduation rates, new STAAR, HB 5 changes
Austin ISD graduation rates have increased from 74.3 percent in 2008 to an all-time high of 82.5 percent in 2012, according to the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce's annual Education Progress Report for the school district.
At the progress reports launch April 3, AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen said it is a "troubling" time for the nation in terms of public education, and urban education is at the forefront of the fight to make sure children get what they need.
"I have been blessed to be able to build a great team. We really came together to fight the fight for kids. I've been able to hire almost half of the principals in AISD now, and as a result our performance is really reflecting the value system of our school board and of Austin," she said.
The chamber has partnered with school districts and other Central Texas chambers for nine years to put together the reports, according to Kimberly Reeves, vice president of talent alignment with the chamber. This year the reports cover 12 school districts in Central Texas.
AISD's report includes K–12 student performance data from the 2011–12 school year as well as 2013 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, results. The school district has seen slight year-over-year increases in graduation rates, post-secondary enrollment, and college and career readiness, but progress during the past few years has been relatively flat.
According to the report, 973 more AISD seniors graduated ready for college in 2012 than in 2007. Graduation rates increased for economically disadvantaged, African-American and Hispanic students in 2012.
As school counselors throughout Central Texas help students transition to new Foundation High School Program graduation plans initiated under House Bill 5, part of the message the chamber wants to convey is what opportunities are available for students, Reeves said.
"We are in one of the fastest-growing communities in the country with a lot of high-demand jobs and a lot of mismatch between the jobs that we have and what kids think they want to do," she said.
The report shows computer- and math-related jobs make up 19 percent of Central Texas job openings, while in the regional class of 2013, computer jobs make up
4 percent of student aspirations, and science and math careers make up 6 percent.
AISD school board trustee Amber Elenz said hearing that local businesses want to help connect students with potential career paths is encouraging.
"That is going to be so important as we move into the HB 5 new endorsement routes," she said. "It's critical that [businesses] are partnering with all the school districts."
AISD's direct-to-college enrollment rate—the percentage of high school students who actually enrolled in a university, community college or technical school immediately after graduating—was 60 percent for the class of 2012.
"I think being flat is sobering a little bit because you know the work that goes into it," Elenz said. "But yet, when you look at the realities of the changing demographics, really we didn't stay flat. We took some kids who have really, really struggled and brought them up. It's just masked in the overall data."
The report examines test results of fifth- and eighth-graders, as those students are about to make the transition from elementary to middle and from middle to high school, Reeves explained. Results from the report show AISD fifth- and eighth-graders improved on the STAAR exams, but standards will become even more rigorous in 2016, Reeves said.
AISD Chief Academic Officer Pauline Dow said AISD strategies for STAAR improvement include professional development, holding meetings about instruction best practices and using a framework for curriculum design intended to help students gain a deep conceptual understanding of materials.
"The office of academics and the assessment department collaboratively create benchmarks to measure student mastery of the taught curriculum mid-year, in time for teachers to analyze the assessment data to improve teaching and learning and student achievement," she said.
Overall the reports give business owners, educators, parents and the community an overview of what is happening in local school districts, Reeves said.
"Even in the face of budget cuts, [school districts] are doing a good job meeting the standards," Reeves said. "Now the standards are going to change, and they are probably going to be even more challenging. We have to be even more strategic with our decisions when it comes to budgets and programs and policies."
The reports can be accessed online at www.austinchamber.com/edureports.
