BY WESLEY GARDNER, EMILY LINCKE & BROOKE SJOBERG
Local districts join lawsuit against Texas Education Agency
would e ectively lower AF performance ratings for the 2022-23 school year in an unlawful manner by changing the way they are calculated retroactively. “That will arbitrarily lower performance ratings for many ... districts and campuses even though their performance improved,” the petition reads. Current situation The TEA announced Sept. 12 it would delay the release of AF accountability ratings for Texas school districts and campuses to review student data and re-evaluate the methodology used in calculating these ratings. “Maintaining high expectations helps guide our e orts to improve student learning and support,” Morath said in a statement. “The AF system is designed to properly reect how well our schools are meeting those high expectations, and the adjustments we are making this year will ensure it continues to serve as a tool for parents and educa- tors to help our students.”
Klein and Spring ISD trustees voted Sept. 11 and 12, respectively, to join a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency over accountability ratings. How we got here The TEA began a refresh of its methodology for calculating accountability ratings in late 2021, sharing new benchmarks students must reach for schools to receive a certain letter grade. One of these adjustments raised the cuto point for a district to receive an A rating based on the college, career and military readiness of students from 60% to 88%—a 28 percentage point increase. District o cials have raised concerns about the impact of the changes to accountability ratings, as they are a metric used by school boards to address educational priorities year to year and by prospec- tive families to gauge the quality of schools. The legal petition Kingsville ISD, et. al., v. Morath, led in August in the Travis County 419th District Court, alleges TEA Commissioner Mike Morath
“Our goal ... is to advocate for a system that reflects the genuine hard work, commitment and achievement of every district.” LUPITA HINOJOSA, SPRING ISD SUPERINTENDENT
“We believe in a system that is consistent, clear and serves as a genuine reflection of the work put in by districts across the state.”
JENNY MCGOWN, KLEIN ISD SUPERINTENDENT
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