African-American, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students at Fort Bend ISD scored lower on state tests during 2015-16 compared to other demographic groups, according to state-issued performance reports. The board of trustees held a public hearing Monday on students' performance by students on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams, or STAAR, and other data during the 2015-16 school year. The Texas Education Agency data shows that for the most part, Hispanic, African-American and economically disadvantaged students scored at or below state averages on STAAR exams, while students of other subgroups scored higher than state averages. View the full report here. FBISD students of all demographics recorded lower dropout rates compared to the state average, while graduation rates for all demographics in the district outpaced high school graduation rates statewide. Due to low test scores, eight FBISD campuses will be subject to terms of the Public Education Grant program. As part of the PEG program, parents whose children attend those schools can opt to send their children to different campuses for the 2017-18 school year, either in the same district or a different district. Those eight PEG schools are Lantern Lane, Ridgemont, Briargate, Goodman and Armstrong elementary schools, Christa McAuliffe and Lake Olympia middle schools, and Willowridge High School. Diana Sayavedra, chief of instructional support and student services said economically disadvantaged students overlap with all other student groups. Asked what is being done to increase test scores among low-income students, she said, “As we are addressing our priority schools, the many things we have in place to address students in those student groups will naturally address our economically disadvantaged students.” Sayavedra told trustees the district is working to increase test scores by providing math specialists, literacy intervention teachers, and instructional coaches for teachers. More student data

Incidents of violence

FBISD Director of Accountability Megan Evans presented a report on violent and criminal incidents at FBISD schools during 2015-16, showing a total of 8,138 such incidents. Evans did not present comparison data. The majority of those—7,072 incidents—were violations of the student code of conduct, while the remaining 1,066 incidents were for more serious offenses, such possession of a controlled substance, and terrorist threats, Evans said. “What’s important to note is this is not individual students,” she said. “These could be what might be considered repeat offenders.”

Dropout rates

The Texas Academic Performance Report also shows the dropout rates for FBISD students of all races to be lower or about the same as the state average. The one exception is the 2013-14 school year, when the dropout rate for American Indian students was far higher than the state average, at 5.3 percent for FBISD high school students compared with 2.2 percent for the state and 1.1 percent for the district. The outsize change occurred because there are so few American Indian students at FBISD, only .4 percent of district’s population. “Even a few students can account for an increase in the district’s percentage of change,” FBISD spokesperson Amanda Bubela said.

Class sizes

Average class sizes at FBISD are larger than state averages, according to the TAPR. For example, the average number of students in a third-grade class at FBISD is 19.5, compared to 19.1 statewide. At the sixth-grade level the average FBISD class size is 23.1 students compared to 20.4 statewide. At the secondary level, class sizes are recorded according to subject area instead of grade level. Foreign language classes at FBISD exceeded state averages the most—by 4.2 students—with the state average at 19.1 compared to 23.3 at FBISD. The district's English and language arts classes had 18.8 students per class compared to 17.1 students er class statewide. Bubela said the larger than average class sizes are the result of surging population growth in Fort Bend County. She said the district will try to place a teacher’s aide in large classrooms to help teachers. The district plans to open three new elementary schools in August to make more room for incoming students.