"I'm just looking forward to hearing the in-depth explanation about why our accountability rating is under review," RRISD parent Jill Farris said during a public hearing on the district's 2022 accountability report Feb. 16.
At the hearing, RRISD Board President Amber Landrum suggested that the district's 20-2021 "F" financial accountability rating which resulted from a missed document submission deadline, combined with the small decline in its 2021 graduation rate, contributed to selection for review. Landrum spoke to having heard concerns from parents on social media.
Responding to concerns about the district's rating and accreditation status, RRISD Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez said the district previously was scored an 89 in August, earning it a B grade.
"Because it's an audit under direct review, we cannot tell you a lot about what it is," Azaiez said from the dais.
Several other districts are under review in a similar manner, Azaiez said, as the TEA selects districts regularly to ensure ratings and accountability data are accurate.
The 2022 Texas Academic Performance Report, compiled by the Texas Education Agency, includes State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness results by grade, military readiness, dropout and attendance rates, and college and career readiness, among other indicators, according to the district. This information is also used to calculate an A-F letter grade, which is unavailable for the district.
These reports include what Erica Simmons, RRISD executive director of assessment and evaluations, called "lagging indicators," meaning that they are based on data from the previous school year. Indicators in the report show graduation rates remained around the same for classes 2019-2021, although there is a three-year trend of slight increases in its dropout rate, less than 1% annually, that is lower than the regional and state rates. Data included in the report show that for the 2021-22 school year, STAAR participation rose to 99% from 70% between 2021 and 2022, as tests were administered completely online.
Results from this report are currently available on the TEA website and on the district's own performance indicators page.
