The SISD Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to support dozens of other North Texas school districts and many others across the state in a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency at the Oct. 23 Board Meeting.
While SISD did not formally join the lawsuit, the Board of Trustees and administration felt a formal show of support was an important signal from the district to the state about the current status of its accountability system.
The litigation is in response to the lack of communication regarding the projected significant changes to the state’s A-F accountability rating system. School districts continue to wait on the finalized rules for the new standards that will impact every district and campus in the state.
“We know our students and district are much more than a test,” Superintendent Matt Kimball said. “However, the accountability system is one measure our district uses to gauge success. It is important for districts to understand how they will be assessed before the school year starts.”
Texas schools are rated with an A through F letter grade each year by the TEA. The system uses performance measures, methods and procedures based on student performance on the STAAR test, graduation rates, and College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) metrics. Those measures and methods are yet to be finalized, which is problematic and may significantly change this year’s rating despite seeing growth in student results.
While SISD does not currently project significant concerns with its forthcoming A-F score, It’s critical for school districts to have a clear understanding of the state’s accountability system prior to testing.
Initially filed by Kingsville ISD, the lawsuit refers to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath’s failure to provide school districts with “a document in a simple, accessible format that explains the accountability performance measures, methods, and procedures that will be applied” for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, in violation of state law. The suit seeks an injunction to stop the commissioner from issuing new ratings using retroactively, incomplete measures.