The Texas Education Agency recently released ratings for Texas schools using a new accountability rating system. This is the first year that the state is using its new, performance index-based approach to academic accountability.
“I actually believe that the new accountability system has the potential to be the best that we’ve seen, and the most accurate assessment of campuses and districts,” said Dr. Reece Blincoe, Brownwood ISD Superintendent. “Like with all new systems there will be kinks to work out, but the system has great potential.”
TEA has indicated that 2013 will be a transitional year, meaning that the system will again undergo changes before 2014, in part due to legislative changes that will introduce a letter grade rating system in the future.
The 2013 ratings generally apply one of two labels to districts and campuses: “Met Standard” or “Improvement Required” to label a districts’ performance. In addition, up to three Academic Achievement Distinction Designations may be earned for high performances in reading/English language arts, high performance in mathematics, and/or being grouped in the top quarter for Student Progress.
Brownwood had seven campuses receive the “Met Standard” rating with four also gaining one or more Academic Achievement Distinctions. Brownwood High School earned all three distinctions, while Brownwood Middle School received a distinction for Top 25 Percent Student Progress, Northwest Elementary gained a distinction for academic achievement in Reading/ELA, and Brownwood Intermediate School received a distinction for Academic Achievement in Mathematics.
“Taking into account the unfamiliarity of the system, I think Brownwood [ISD] did quite well,” said Blincoe, noting that BHS not only met standards but also received all three distinctions. “It will take a little time for me to go through the details with my staff to get a really accurate assessment, but on the surface, it appears our high school really did well again.”
Even with all the good indicators for Brownwood ISD, there are still some areas where the district needs improvement. Coggin Elementary met standards on both Student Achievement and Closing Performance Gaps, but received an “Improvement required” rating due to a Student Progress score of 25 that narrowly missed the target score of 30.
“We know there is always room to improve,” said Blincoe. “We will go over the numbers with the principal and determine how we need to address the improvements that must be made.”
Blincoe also noted that Coggin Elementary is unique in that it is a stand-alone 4th-grade-only campus and it is uncertain at this point how that might affect the results for the Student Progress measurement.
“We are never totally satisfied and I believed that each of our campuses will have areas that they want to improve and grow,” said Blincoe, adding that a community based accountability system is also on the horizon. “The ratings say that we are certainly headed in the right direction. This is a new era in education and we have just begun the journey with the new funding and new accountability systems.”
Pictured above: Brownwood ISD performed above the state target scores in all indexed areas according to the recently released 2013 TEA Accountability Summary.
