According to preliminary districtwide results, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD continues to outperform state averages on State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.

The backstory

The Texas Education Agency released results from the spring STAAR on Aug. 16. The tests were redesigned in 2023 as a result of House Bill 3906 passed by the 86th Texas Legislature in 2019, according to TEA.

TEA went on to say that the STAAR redesign includes several components to better align with classroom instruction. These components include online testing and accommodations, new question types, cross-curricular passages, and evidence-based writing.

TEA also said that the new question types reflect classroom test questions, which allow students more ways to show their understanding learned in class. While the test was administered almost exclusively online, students requiring certain accommodations could still complete paper exams.

The details



According to TEA, STAAR assessments are administered for the following grades and subjects:

  • Grades 3-8 mathematics

  • Grades 3-8 reading

  • Grades 4 and 7 writing

  • Grades 5 and 8 science

  • Grade 8 social studies

STAAR results showed that third- to eighth-grade students in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD outperformed students on a statewide scale in reading and math. The largest point difference was in the eighth-grade math passing rates, with a 15-point difference between Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and statewide students’ passing rates. Seventh-grade math passing scores had the smallest differential between Grapevine-Colleyville ISD passing rates and statewide averages with a 6-point difference.
Diving in deeper
Along with the revamped STAAR test, the state also refreshed its methodology concerning A-F ratings. A Grapevine-Colleyville ISD website states that due to these changes, the TEA has stated that a direct comparison between the 2022 and 2023 ratings is not possible. As a result, a campus could show improved STAAR performance over the previous year and still receive a lower rating in 2023 compared to its 2022 rating.

The overall structure of the rating system will remain unchanged, which feature the following three rating domains:
  • Student achievement
  • School progress
  • Closing the gaps
The district website goes on to state that while districts and campuses will continue to receive an overall rating, a notable change for 2023 involves using student enrollment data for grades three through 12 for each campus. This data will determine the proportion of the district's score attributed to each school.

This method of proportionality will be applied to each domain as well as the overall score. The TEA's rationale for this change is to enhance alignment between the district's overall score and the individual campus ratings, the website states.