While 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 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.
Domain I looks at 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 looks at 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.
Magnolia ISD Superintendent Todd Stephens said the A-F system does not accurately measure student success in the district.
"Magnolia ISD values a fair accountability system but not one that diminishes the daily work and successes of our teachers, students and administrators," Stephens said in a statement. "As a public school, we strive to meet the needs of all our students through a broad range of areas—academics, college readiness, fine arts, athletics, and workforce preparation in order to produce well-rounded, civic and socially responsible citizens."
At its meeting on Monday, Jan. 9, the MISD board of trustees will consider a resolution calling on the Texas Legislature to repeal and replace the A-F rating system with a community-based accountability system.
"Magnolia ISD will continue to provide quality, meaningful instruction and strive for continuous improvement using information from the STAAR test and more," Stephens said.
Here are the letter grades Magnolia and Tomball ISDs, as well as each campus, received in each domain.
Magnolia ISD: B | C | D | D
Alpha Academy: A | A | B| C
Bear Branch Elementary: B | C | D | C
Bear Branch Junior High: B | C | D | C
Cedric C. Smith Elementary: B | B | B | C
J. L. Lyon Elementary: C | C | D | C
Magnolia Elementary: C | B | D | D
Magnolia High School: B | D | D | C
Magnolia Junior High: C | C | D | D
Magnolia Parkway Elementary: C | C | D | C
Magnolia West High School: C | F | D | D
Nichols Sawmill Elementary: C | C | DD
Tom R. Ellisor Elementary: C | D | F | C
Willie E. Williams Elementary: D | C | D | D
Tomball ISD: A | A | B | C
Canyon Pointe Elementary: A | C | A | A
Creekside Forest Elementary: A | A | NA*| B
Creekview Elementary: A | A | B | A
Decker Prairie Elementary: B | C |B | C
Lakewood Elementary: A | F | C | B
Northpointe Intermediate: A | A | A | A
Oakcrest Intermediate: A | B |B | B
Rosehill Elementary: B | C | B | B
Timber Creek Elementary: A | A | NA* | A
Tomball Elementary: C | F | D | C
Tomball High School: B | D | C | D
Tomball Intermediate: B | B | B | C
Tomball Junior High: B | B | D | C
Tomball Memorial High School: A | B | B | C
Wildwood Elementary: A | C | A | A
Willow Creek Elementary: A | C | B | B
Willow Wood Junior High: A | B | B | B
*Campuses were not open during the 2015-16 academic year.
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.
"The ratings in this report are for informational purposes to meet a legislative requirement and represent work-in-progress models that are likely to change before A–F ratings become effective in August 2018," the TEA states on its website. "No inferences about official district or campus performance in the 2015–16 school year should be drawn from these ratings, and these ratings should not be considered predictors of future district or campus performance ratings."
The A-F ratings are a change from the “met standard,” “met alternative standard,” and “improvement required” ratings given to school districts and campuses in previous years.
The story will be updated with comments from the districts.
Note: This story has been updated to include a comment from MISD.
