Round Rock ISD officials talk student achievement data ahead of accountability updates in 2023

Round Rock ISD trustees and district administration discussed a midyear update of student achievement indicators Dec. 13 in anticipation of updates to their role in district accountability reporting expected from the Texas Education Agency in 2023.

RRISD Chief of Instruction Ryan Smith updated the board on a few potential policy updates expected in the new year, such as increasing the standard for a district to receive an A from the state for college and career readiness from 60% achievement to 88% and the phasing in of new standards for industry-based certifications.

"The higher the number of students we send to college that have met one of these metrics, the higher the number of students that are going to persist throughout college," Smith said.

This means that to achieve the highest rating from the TEA in accountability reports and ratings, the district and campuses will have to hit the 88% mark for students achieving college, career and military readiness. This is measured by students meeting certain scores for math and reading in assessments such as the TSI, the ACT or SAT as well as college preparatory courses, according to the district; earning an associate degree; scores of 3 or higher on Advanced Placement or international baccalaureate exams; completing an OnRamps to earn college credit; or earning an industry-based certification, among others.

In the coming school year, completing one of these indicators will likely become a graduation requirement for Texas students. Smith said the district is working with Austin Community College to create preparatory courses for college English and math to meet this requirement for students who have not achieved any of the measures before their graduation.

"If you're a senior and you haven't met your college readiness for reading or math, then we enroll you in a college prep course," Smith said. "We [are working] with ACC on creating that course, and if as a senior, you pass the course and you pass the final, then that counts as your CCMR indicator."

As a whole, current midyear readiness data for the graduating class of 2023 shows as a whole, the cohort has faced some difficulty in attainment of readiness indicators due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith said. However, he said the district is already working to address the small declines in student achievement based on these indicators by offering opportunities to complete any of the list of criteria before graduating.

"We were on a good track forward," Smith said. "We're going to get back there. We definitely did see a lot of disruption in the 2021 data coinciding with the pandemic."