The B rating indicates “recognized performance,” meaning the district has served “many” students and encourages high academic achievement and growth according to TEA standards.
The 2022-23 ratings were released April 24 after a state court decision allowed for the publication of the scores following litigation that started in 2023. Over 100 Texas school districts joined a lawsuit to prevent the release of the ratings due to concerns over a mid-year change in how the ratings were calculated, as previously reported by Community Impact.
DSISD ratings explained
The TEA ratings are calculated based on an analysis of three different categories—student achievement, school progress and “Closing the Gaps.”
Student achievement looks at performance such as STAAR testing, graduation rates, students reaching grade level and success in pathways after graduation, called College Career and Military Readiness, or CCMR. DSISD received a B in student achievement with 89 out of 100 points.
Within the student achievement category, about 73% of students met grade level or above for all subjects in the 2022-23 school year, coming in higher than the 49% state average. About 36% of DSISD students mastered all subjects, compared to the 20% state average.
The district received 76% total credit for CCMR criteria, higher than the state’s 69% total credit. CCMR criteria looks at standardized test scores, how many students earned college credit or an associates degree, and more. The new 202-23 methodology changed the requirement to receive an A from 60% to 88% total credit, which was applied after the class of 2023 graduated. View the TEA’s DISD student achievement breakdown here.
The DSISD 2022-23 school progress rating came in at 84 out of 100 points, resulting in a B score. School progress measures student performance in the district compared to previous years at DSISD, as well as compared to other similar districts.
Within the school progress rating, the district earned a B for how many students grew academically by at least one school year, according to the TEA. Comparing the district to other schools with similar economically disadvantaged populations, the school received 71 out of 100 points, earning a C. About 75% of DSISD students made at least one year of academic progress. View the 2022-23 DSISD school progress breakdown here.
The district earned a B rating for the “Closing the Gaps” category, scoring 88 out of 100 points. This category measures how a district “closes the gaps” between different student groups to ensure success for all students. For example, both African American and Hispanic students had at least 10% lower student success compared to the 67% success for all students. View the breakdown here.
While the district received an overall B rating, the TEA also rated DSISD’s individual campuses. Four schools in DSISD received an A score in the 2022-23 academic year—Dripping Springs Middle School, Rooster Springs Elementary, Sycamore Springs Elementary and Sycamore Springs Middle School. The remaining schools in the district—Cypress Springs Elementary, Dripping Springs Elementary, Dripping Springs High School and Walnut Springs Elementary—received a B rating. View the campus ratings here.
DSISD did not respond to a request for comment on the ratings as of press time.
Previous DSISD ratings
Due to the 2022-23 ratings using different methodology, previous years are not exact comparisons. However, based on TEA calculations, if the 2021-22 school year used the new methodology, DSISD would have scored a B with 89 out of 100 points for that year. That would have been the same score as the 2022-23 year rating.
The original 2021-22 rating was an A with 92 points. Academic years 2021-22 and 2020-21 were not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DSISD received an A, 91 out of 100 points, for the 2018-19 academic year.
Statewide ratings
Following the new methodology, about 11% of 1,198 total school districts statewide received an A rating for the 2022-23 school year. Around 40% of districts received B ratings, 32% scored C ratings, 14% received D ratings and about 3% received F ratings, according to the TEA 2022-23 summary.
Campus specific, 1,646 campuses earned an A, 2,873 received a B, 2,107 scored a C, 1,264 received a D and 649 campuses across the state received an F, according to the TEA 2022-23 summary.
One more thing
TEA A-F ratings for academic year 2023-24 are currently blocked from publishing, pending another lawsuit currently in the state appeals court.
Hannah Norton contributed to this reporting.
