Most of the school districts in Central Texas were confounded by the preliminary “report card” they received in the new A-F grading system drafted by the Texas Education Association. Adopted after House Bill 2804, the system aims to support a focus on continuous improvement of student outcomes rather than constantly changing standards that do not reflect progress.
However, the consensus in ours and surrounding districts is that the rating system is inherently flawed. GISD Superintendent Dr. Fred Brent says, “This system is a mistake and it does not truly tell us what we want to know about our kids.”
Among the reported 150 Texas district requests for a repeal, Jarrell ISD signed a resolution asserting their own concern that, “These grades leave the public with an invalid and disconnected impression of student performance. Our goal is to transform education and be accountable for the learning needs of each student.”
GISD will soon follow asserting they also disagree, not just with the grades, but with the system itself.
Dr. Brent agreed, “It has not been posted [at press time] but the board will address it at our January meeting.”
He continued, “The biggest problem is that it is a ranking system and it does not take into account true student performance. We believe we are accountable to our community and, as such, we believe a true metric for student performance should be determined by our community.” He added the Trustees plan to discuss community-based accountability processes and procedures during their Spring meetings.
“Our message to the students and parents is that we have been and will continue to be accountable first to the students and parents themselves. What we want to talk about is what the community chooses to measure.”
Dr. Brent added that the District will be talking to the legislature and hope they will consider all the points and perspectives of Texas school districts. “We know there is a better way to explain what our students are really doing.”
Dr. Brent’s video “The A-F Accountability System” is available on YouTube.
