Students at Friendswood ISD have marked improvement in early literacy, according to 2024-25 reports from the district.

The context

FISD uses multiple assessment tools for the following grade levels:
  • K-2: mCLASS, which measures phonological awareness skills
  • K-5: Benchmark Assessment System, or BAS, which determines a student's independent, instructional and frustrational reading levels, in which more than one in 10 words are difficult for the reader, according to district documents
  • 3-8: Reading State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, which measures a student’s proficiency of grade level based on Texas reading standards
The breakdown

While kindergarten through second grade students are not accelerating upward at the same rate as in 2023-24, over 50% of students scored above benchmark for the mCLASS assessment in 2024-25, composite data shows.
Measuring students from kindergarten through fifth grade, over 75% of students have met or exceeded reading levels based on the BAS assessment, according to district documents.
Measuring FISD students from third through eighth grade, 80% of students “met” grade level standards, which is the highest it has been from spring 2021 to 2025, data shows.
Quote of note

“[There is] lots of pride in the work that we do,” said Lauren Ambeau, FISD’s deputy superintendent of teaching and learning. “We're really most thankful for our students, our teachers, our parents and our community. It was really a representation of our community working together.”