The Texas Education Agency released a provisional set of accountability ratings for school districts and campuses across the state Friday based on the TEA’s new A-F rating system. The system change comes as a result of House Bill 2804 passed by the 84th Texas Legislature in 2015.
Although the new rating system will be officially implemented in the 2017-18 academic year, Friday’s release to the public is intended only as a trial run and features provisional scores for each district and campus in four out of five domains, or performance areas. The scores are based on data from the 2015-16 academic year. According to the TEA, no overall rating can yet be given to districts and campuses, since no score has been given for Domain V—community and student engagement—which is 10 percent of the overall grade.
Each district and school will be rated in four other areas, or domains:
• Domain I measures student achievement.
• Domain II measures student progress, specifically how each student’s State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness score compares to the previous year.
• Domain III measures closing achievement gaps. Economically disadvantaged numbers play into this.
• Domain IV measures postsecondary readiness. At the high school level, this is based on the graduation rate and the percentage of students who graduate ready for college, career or the military.
Friday's scores only include domains I-IV, with no overall score, but a designation as to whether the district and school met standards.
McKinney ISD officials said multiple districts across the state have voiced concern about the new grading system, citing its inability to reflect a comprehensive, accurate view of a school’s effectiveness. Those voicing concern include MISD Superintendent Rick McDaniel.
"I strongly disagree with the suggestion that a single letter grade can represent all that is occurring in McKinney ISD campuses and throughout the district," McDaniel said in a press release. "The reduction of our schools to a single grade in each of four domains disregards the unique qualities and gifts of nearly 25,000 students and the talented staff that support them each and every day."
MISD officials said the ratings released Friday appear in conflict with official ratings from the past four years that indicate campuses have met the state accountability standards in every index for each of those years.
Test results for McKinney ISD in domains I-IV are as follows:
McKinney ISD: B|A|C|C
Elementary schools:
Bennett Elementary: A|B|B|A
Burks Elementary: F|D|D|B
Eddins Elementary: A|C|A|C
Caldwell Elementary: D|F|F|C
Glen Oaks Elementary: A|B|D|C
Finch Elementary: C|B|B|C
Johnson Elementary: B|C|D|A
Malvern Elementary: D|D|D|D
McNeil Elementary: C|F|F|C
McClure Elementary: A|C|B|A
McGowen Elementary: B|C|C|B
Minshew Elementary: B|C|B|C
Press Elementary: C|C|D|C
Slaughter Elementary: B|C|B|C
Valley Creek Elementary: A|B|B|C
Vega Elementary: C|C|D|B
Webb Elementary: D|C|D|B
Walker Elementary: A|C|B|C
Wilmeth Elementary: A|B|-|B
Wolford Elementary: A|C|B|B
Middle schools:
Evans Middle: A|B|C|B
Dowell Middle: A|A|B|B
Cockrill Middle: A|A|B|B
Faubion Middle: B|B|D|C
Johnson Middle: B|C|B|C
High schools:
McKinney High: B|D|D|C
McKinney Boyd High: A|B|C|C
McKinney North High: A|C|B|C
According to the TEA, the new rating system measures year-over-year district and student performance beyond STAAR results. This system will officially be implemented in the 2017-18 academic year and released in August 2018, reflecting district and student performance in the 2016-17 academic year.
