AISD rated among top 10 in TEA rankings; local school districts discuss progress
Local school districts saw improvement in their annual Texas Education Agency (TEA) rating, including the Amarillo Independent School District, which rated in the top 10 academically among the largest school districts in Texas.
"We ended up with an overall of an 89; it's a little bit bittersweet. We are always aiming for that 'A' mark, but an 89, what it says and the message that it sends, is the power of our classroom teachers. There is absolutely no doubt that the recovery from COVID rests on the shoulders of our 2,000 teachers, especially when you think about the last 24 to 36 months when our attendance between teachers and students was so inconsistent," said AISD Superintendent Doug Loomis.
The accountability scores released by TEA are how the state evaluates each public school district. The rating is based on a district's performance on the state-mandated State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test, college, career and military readiness outcomes and graduation rate.
According to the 2022 TEA accountability scores released in August, AISD received an overall grade of 89, or B+. This score placed the district in seventh out of the state’s 44 largest school districts. AISD moves up to fourth, when compared with districts with a similar percentage of economically disadvantaged students. These 44 school districts make up approximately 42% of all students in the state.
Overall, AISD saw across-the-board gains in STAAR scores. The results indicate that AISD students recovered from learning losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and moved ahead of where the district was pre-pandemic. Amarillo ISD students made gains on 18 out of 20 grade level subject area tests, compared to its 2019 TEA scores, with district scores remaining the same in the remaining two areas.
"As we get back to normal (post pandemic), the most important thing is for kids to be back in school, in classrooms, with classroom teachers. That is the most consistent thing we can do, and as we get them back in school, ensuring that our teachers have the very best tools to instruct our kids would come in second and providing stability for our students," Loomis said.
Other area school districts also received above satisfactory ratings for their 2022 TEA assessments, including Canyon ISD, which received an overall score of 95 or an A; Highland Park ISD, receiving an overall score of an 91 or an A; and Bushland ISD, receiving an overall score of 95 or an A.
River Road ISD received an 82 for their 2022 TEA accountability rating. RRISD Superintendent Richard Kelly spoke about what this rating means for the district and how the district looks outside the rating to provide for their students.
"Our ratings were good, solid, very informational. Our overall score remained a 'B' like our 2019 rating, which a 'B' is good, but we always want to be better and ensure that we are doing the best for our students on a grounded level," Kelly said. "We are going to continue looking at the data, teaching kids, loving on kids, and looking at the things outside of STAAR and the accountability rating to develop those students to be the very best versions of themselves they can be."
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: AISD rated among top 10 in TEA; local school districts view progress
