New accountability measures from the Texas Education Agency, the upcoming school calendar and attendance zones for future district schools were discussed at Monday’s Fort Bend ISD board of trustees meeting. Items reviewed Monday will be up for board action on Jan. 16. Trustees give “A-F” a failing grade District staff and trustees roundly panned the A-F preliminary school ratings handed out Jan. 6 by the TEA. Schools and districts were graded in four categories. FBISD received a B for "student achievement," an A for "student progress," a C for "closing performance gaps" and a D for "postsecondary readiness." A fifth category will use indicators chosen by the district from a set of options. FBISD Director of Accountability Megan Evans said the district intends to give feedback to the TEA on which indicators it plans to use for the category, known as Domain V. “I think it’s important to note that these ratings are preliminary,” Evans said. “[TEA] have stressed pretty heavily in recent communication that the development of an accountability system is still in progress and will continue for the next year.” FBISD board President Kristin Tassin said she wanted trustees to be advocates for the district in their communications with lawmakers. She criticized the ratings system and said it did not meet expectations from the legislature that the system would be simple to understand. All FBISD legislators voted in favor of the law—House bill 2804—in 2015. “I want us to have a big voice in this,” trustee Jason Burdine said. 2017-18 school calendar still in progress  FBISD is still finalizing its proposed 2017-18 academic calendar. Deputy Superintendent Christie Whitbeck said state mandates are adding challenges to the process. “The fall of 2017 we look ahead, is particularly restrictive,” Whitbeck said. “This is primarily due to the 2007 legislative decision to prohibit us from starting school prior to the fourth Monday in August.” That is Aug. 28, which leaves the district with five fewer days than the current school year. Whitbeck said that among the 18,000 community responses FBISD received on the calendar for 2017-18, 11,000 responses placed a priority on the Thanksgiving holiday break and recommended extending the school year into the first week of June in order to make up days. Whitbeck also said the calendar committee, which drafts the calendar, wanted input from the District of Innovation committee before presenting a final version to the board. Flexibility in the academic calendar dates is something other school districts working to become a District of Innovation have asked for, she said. The draft calendar will be presented in March. “At that time our goal will be to work with the large calendar committee, and the subcommittee, to help finalize a draft that is innovative,” she said. New school boundaries undergo changes The district is configuring new attendance boundaries for schools that will open in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 academic years. The schools include Donald Leonetti Elementary, James C. Neill Elementary, James Patterson Elementary, Ronald Thornton Middle School and elementary school No. 51. Scott Leopold, a consultant with education planning firm DeJONG-RICHTER working for FBISD, said proposed boundaries would place all Leonetti and Scanlan Oaks Elementary students, as well as 55 percent of Heritage Rose Elementary School students at Thornton. The remaining Heritage Rose students would continue to attend Baines Middle School, according to meeting documents. In the Richmond area, the changes would send 60 percent of Patterson Elementary students to Crockett Middle School and 40 percent to Bowie Middle School. All James C. Neill students would go to Bowie, according to meeting documents. FBISD has not yet approved the boundary changes.