Willis ISD received a “D” for the 2022-23 school year with 67 out of 100 possible points, according to the TEA.
The announcement follows an April 3 ruling by Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals, which overturned a lower court's injunction that had blocked the 2023 ratings for over a year.
In September 2023, WISD joined multiple school districts that sued TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, arguing the agency’s revamped accountability system was “unlawful” and would unfairly harm school districts, Community Impact previously reported.
Some context
A-F ratings for school districts were first issued in 2018, according to an April 24 TEA news release. The method for calculating the 2022-23 ratings was refreshed, as is required every five years.
The ratings are based on factors such as the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness; academic growth; high school graduation rates; and how prepared students are for college, a career or the military, Community Impact previously reported.
Diving in deeper
Across Texas, nearly 11% of school districts received an “A” rating for the 2022-23 school year. Forty percent of districts earned a “B”, while about 32% scored a “C,” 14% received a “D” and about 3% received an “F,” according to the TEA.
MISD had 9,729 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year, according to TEA data. 28.1% of those students were economically disadvantaged and 11.3% were enrolled in special education. 3.1% of MISD students in 2022-23 were emergent bilingual students.
Out of MISD’s campuses that received ratings:
- Eight received a B
- Two received a C
Out of WISD’s campuses that received ratings:
- One received a B
- Three received a C
- Four received a D
- Two received a F
Texas school districts last received ratings through the A-F system for the 2021-22 school year, when about one-third of districts statewide earned an “A” rating for 2021-22, and slightly more than half earned a “B,” according to the TEA.
MISD’s ratings since the 2018-19 school year are as follows:
- 2018-19: A (93)
- 2019-20: not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020-21: not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021-22: A (93)
- 2022-23: B (83)
- 2018-19: B (85)
- 2019-20: not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020-21: not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021-22: C (76)
- 2022-23: D (67)
In an April 25 news release, MISD Superintendent Mark Ruffin said the district has concerns about the way accountability changes were implemented in 2023, and specifically mentioned the lack of timely communication and transparency from the TEA.
“MISD is committed to our mission and vision, which is not contingent upon state assessments or ratings, but focuses on ensuring all students are prepared with the knowledge and skills to be successful. With that, it’s important to add context and background to this rating and issue,” Ruffin said via news release.
In an emailed statement, WISD Superintendent Kimberley James said the district is not shying away from the results.
"[The A-F ratings] highlight areas we are actively working to strengthen. At the same time, they do not tell the full story of the commitment, growth and instructional shifts happening in classrooms across our district today,” James said. “Our focus remains on what matters most: growing every student. We look forward to future accountability releases that more accurately reflect the direction we are heading as we move forward with urgency and purpose.”
Stay tuned
The TEA remains blocked from issuing ratings for the 2023-24 school year due to a separate lawsuit, which is pending in the state appeals court. Morath also said the TEA intends to release ratings for 2024-25 on Aug. 15, per state law.
“A-F ratings are very public, and so that is a leadership challenge that our leaders bear, but this is the cross that we bear for being publicly funded and having the public’s children in our schools. It’s up to us to operate with the highest degree of transparency to deliver the best outcomes that we can for our kids,” Morath said April 22.
Hannah Norton contributed to this report.
