The ratings were delayed after a lawsuit was filed by more than 120 districts, including AISD. The districts argued the agency’s revamped guidelines did not follow state law.
In September 2023, a Travis County district court blocked the release of the ratings; however, the Texas Courts of Appeals ruled in April that the 2022-23 ratings can be released this month.
What to know
AISD scored a 91, which is an A overall. The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The rating system measures student performance in each grade and their preparedness to move on to the next grade as well as achievement on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. It also helps to determine whether school districts prepare students for success after high school in college, the workforce or the military.
The score is based on performance in three key areas, or domains—student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. Respectively, these metrics calculate how much students know, their improvement from the previous year and other peer districts and whether performance gaps exist among different peer groups.
The changes made to the rating system in 2023 amended rating criteria. The What-if scores apply the new standards to 2021-22 results. AISD received an A rating under this measurement as well.
Across the state, almost 11% of school districts received an A, while 40% received a B, about 32% received a C, 14% received a D and about 3% received an F, according to the TEA.
Zooming in
The district scored a 91 out of 100 in the student achievement domain, which measures STAAR test expectations. It scored an 82 out of 100 in the school progress domain and scored a 90 out of 100 in the closing the gap domain, which measures how well a district ensures all student groups are successful.
In school finance, AISD received an A, scoring 94 out of 100. Individual school ratings were scored by TEA and can be found online. The district has added campuses since the 2022-23 ratings.
Argyle ISD earned an A rating in the 2021-22 and 2018-19 school years. Districts were not rated in 2019-20 and 2020-2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quote of note
“Every Texas family deserves a clear view of school performance, and now those families finally have access to data they should have received two years ago,” said Texas Education Commissioner, Mike Morath in a press release.
The TEA remains blocked from issuing ratings for the 2023-24 school year because of a separate lawsuit. Morath also said the agency intends to release ratings for the 2024-25 school year Aug. 15, as required by state law.
Hannah Norton contributed to this report.
