The preliminary results for the Texas Education Agency’s new A-F accountability rating system that were published Jan. 6 have some school districts across the state up in arms, especially the portion of the ratings that measures postsecondary readiness.

In a Senate Finance Committee hearing Jan. 24, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath said he has heard “buckets” of feedback regarding the A-F system. He said there has been a small, quiet group in support of the evaluation, but many others had louder criticism.

Morath said although three of the categories, or domains, within the new rating system have clear metrics, the domain that measures postsecondary readiness is a “strange mix of remaining qualifiers that don’t necessarily fit well together.”

The new rating system is required by House Bill 2804, which was passed during the 2015 legislative session. The bill required the TEA to present an informational report to the Legislature by Jan. 1, 2017.

The A-F system will replace the current accountability system that states whether school districts met standards under certain performance indicators. The A-F rating system, which will be fully implemented in 2018, will give districts and their campuses an overall grade of A, B, C, D or F as well as an individual grade in five domains: Student Achievement, Student Progress, Closing Performance Gaps, Postsecondary Readiness, and Community and Student Engagement.

The results published Jan. 6 only measured the first four domains and reflect a system that is a work in progress, TEA spokesperson Lauren Callahan said.

Domain IV measures postsecondary readiness. About 60 percent of the nearly 1,000 school districts that received a grade in Domain IV received a C, D or F.

In San Marcos and Hays CISDs, most schools received C’s and D’s. As a district, San Marcos CISD scored D’s in domains I, III and IV as well as a C in Domain II. Hays CISD scored C’s in the first two domains and D’s in the third and fourth domains.

Numerous school districts across the state are considering passing resolutions asking the Legislature to repeal the new A-F rating system.

“We are not afraid of accountability at all,” said Debbie Gillespie, a regional director on the board for the Texas Association of School Boards. “I think that’s part of what has made public education better. But it needs to be fair, and it needs to be meaningful.”

Next steps

Despite the fact that school districts across the state are seeking to repeal the A-F rating system, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said A-F will not be repealed or replaced.

Some bills filed in this legislative session add more indicators to Domain IV or change the wording in the Texas Education Code for the accountability system.

In a statement, state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, who sponsored HB 2804, said the new system is not going away.

“Our students and parents deserve a grading system that helps individual students, their campuses and their districts transparently measure academic success and clearly delineate where improvements are needed,” he said. “I realize that some folks are frustrated with accountability, but the taxpayers of Texas deserve to know if their hard-earned tax dollars are being wisely spent and that our students are getting the quality education they deserve.”

During the Senate Finance Committee hearing Jan. 24, Taylor said he would devote part of this session to refining the domains so they would better measure student performance.

The primary author of SB 2804, former Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, retired in 2015. The joint bill author, Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-Dallas, declined to comment to Community Impact Newspaper.

Emily Donaldson contributed to this story.