Mission, Texas- The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released new, preliminary, accountability ratings for schools and districts. Districts are being rated using a new A-F system. Schools are holding on to the old rating system for one more year. Those school ratings are, Met Standard, Improvement Required, or Met Alternative Standard for alternative schools. The TEA will also be releasing a preliminary numeric grade for schools this year that reflects the A-F system still being finalized by the state.
Districts will have an opportunity to appeal any of the ratings released today before they become final later this fall.
Mission Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) has received a “B” in the ratings. All Mission CISD schools have received a rating of “Met Standard”.
“The TEA has tried to develop a fair rating system to meet requirements of state legislation, but trying to simplify the hugely complicated data and data formulas into a simple letter grade that reflects an entire school or district, is imperfect at best.,” said Dr. Carol G. Perez. “It is unfortunate that the new rating system will once again not truly reflect the quality of instruction taking place in our schools. If any Mission CISD resident is interested in seeing the quality of education in their schools, they need only visit them.”
Dr. Perez stressed that all Mission CISD schools are focused on serving the individual needs of students as best as possible and will continue to do so, regardless of ratings. “We know that no matter how well a school does in ratings or student scores, there is always room for improvement and we will always work towards that end,” she said.
School district ratings are based upon “grades” given in each of three different areas or “domains”. Those areas or domains are: student achievement on the STAAR, school progress, and closing the gaps which includes college and career readiness data. 70% of a district’s final rating will be based on the best score from the first two domains. 30% of the district’s final rating will be based on how the district is closing gaps in student achievement.
In addition to the accountability ratings, some additional honors; called distinctions, were also earned by many of the Mission CISD schools. The total number of distinctions earned by Mission CISD campuses increased from 52 in 2017, to 58 this year.
Elementary schools can earn a total of six distinctions in: academic achievement in Reading/ELA, academic achievement in Math, academic achievement in Science, competitive academic growth, competitive closing the gaps, and postsecondary readiness. Cavazos Elementary School and Salinas Elementary School have earned all six possible distinctions. The other elementary schools earning distinctions are: Alton Elementary, Reading/ELA, Math, academic growth, closing the gaps, postsecondary readiness; Cantu Elementary School, academic growth, postsecondary readiness; Escobar/Rios Elementary, Math, academic growth, closing the gaps; Leal Elementary School, Math, Science, postsecondary readiness, closing the gaps; Midkiff Elementary School, Reading/ELA, Math, academic growth, postsecondary readiness, closing the gaps; Mims Elementary School, academic growth, closing the gaps; O’Grady Elementary School, Science; Pearson Elementary School, postsecondary readiness; Waitz Elementary School, Reading/ELA, Science.
Junior high schools can earn a total of seven distinctions in : academic achievement in Reading/ELA, academic achievement in Math, academic achievement in Science, academic achievement in Social Studies, top 25% student progress, top 25% closing performance gaps, and postsecondary readiness. All four Mission CISD junior high schools earned distinctions. They are: : Alton Memorial Jr. High School, Reading/ELA, Science, postsecondary readiness; R. Cantu Jr. High School, Reading/ELA, postsecondary readiness; Mission Jr. High School, Reading/ELA, Math, Social Studies, academic growth, postsecondary readiness, closing the gaps; K. White Jr. High School, Reading/ELA, postsecondary readiness, closing the gaps.
High schools can earn a total of seven distinctions in: academic achievement in Reading/ELA, academic achievement in Math, academic achievement in Science, academic achievement in Social Studies, top 25% student progress, top 25% closing performance gaps, and postsecondary readiness. All three Mission CISD high schools earned distinctions: Mission High School, Reading/ELA, Social Studies, academic growth; Veterans Memorial High School, Social Studies, academic growth, closing the gaps; Mission Collegiate High School, Reading/ELA.
An overview of the Mission CISD ratings are available online at: https://txschools.org/districts/108908/overview.
You can look up detailed accountability ratings information for any school or district through the TEA website at, https://txschools.org/
Resources explaining the new accountability system are also available on the Mission CISD website, under the “Parent” link, or through, https://www.mcisd.net/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=218194&type=d&pREC_ID=1500371.
# # #