After a five-year interval, Texas schools are anticipating the return of the A-F accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency. Scheduled for August 15, these grades have not been released since 2019 due to a combination of pandemic-induced disruptions and a lawsuit, as reported by the San Antonio Report. The simplified grading system is intended to provide parents and policy makers with clearer insights into school performance across a range of metrics, from student academic growth to college and workforce readiness, and even the success in narrowing achievement gaps.
Despite the grades' user-friendly facade, they come swaddled in controversy and criticism. School district officials are particularly wary of the substantial revisions to both the testing standards and the grading process itself. Speaking to the San Antonio Report, Jenny Collier, a spokesperson for Southwest Independent School District, expressed persistent concerns stemming from the lawsuit, casting a shadow of doubt over the upcoming scores. She explained, “They will be difficult to interpret because the 2023 scores still haven’t been released and, given the substantial changes in the scoring system, it is not practical to compare the 2024 scores to those from 2022.”
According to the San Antonio Report, significant components of the A-F scoring system include 'School Progress' and 'Student Achievement', which form 70% of a school's overall grade, while 'Closing the Gaps' accounts for the remainder. These grading criteria have undergone recent changes, leading to the aforementioned lawsuit and contributing to much of the uncertainty regarding their use and interpretation. Despite this, school districts like Alamo Heights Independent School District have turned to local community-based accountability measures, as Assistant Superintendent Jimmie Walker stated, “I think what’s great about community based accountability is even though we have not had A-F in a year, the world has continued to turn.”
Complicating the already dense thicket of concerns is the timing of the scores' release. It's poised to coincide with the House Education Committee's meeting to discuss Education Savings Accounts, a subject of heated debate that has riven the legislature. Past commentaries, such as Matthew Gutierrez's as former Seguin ISD Superintendent during an August board meeting, encapsulate the broader tussle. "It is not fair to change the rules of the game after the game has been played," he told the San Antonio Report. He further inferred that changing assessment methods might be aimed at painting public schools in a negative light to advocate for voucher programs.
Nonetheless, Kate Greer of Commit Partnership believes in the essential nature of the accountability system for providing clear directives for school improvement. “A-F, when used well, is a continuous improvement tool,” Greer highlighted in her conversation with the San Antonio Report. She further urged parents to dig beyond the surface of the letter grades upon their release.
