BRYAN ISD JOINS LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OPPOSING ‘A-F’ RATING SYSTEM

  

Bryan Independent School District has joined a number of other local school districts that have adopted a resolution expressing their opposition to the new “A through F” rating system.

Last week, College Station ISD passed a similar resolution opposing the new rating system.  In November, Brenham ISD Superintendent Walter Jackson released a statement saying that BISD “vigorously opposes the A-F rating legislation and believes it will do more harm than good.”

In 2015, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 2804, which changes the way schools are evaluated. Under the current Texas Education Agency accountability system, schools are rated either "met standard" or "improvement required." There are four indices that determine whether a school meets standard: student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness. The new system will replace the state's current system of rating schools as "met standard" or "improvement required" with A-F letter grades

The Burton trustees adopted a resolution last Thursday calling for a “more appropriate” method for school accountability. According to Burton Superintendent Edna Kennedy, the resolution requests the state Legislature “develop a system that addresses local and internal systems and empowers school districts, while continuing to meet general state standards”.

A large number of superintendents are opposing the new rating system, saying that a single letter grade to a district does not accurately demonstrate the quality of the education that is being provided.

In January, the Texas Education Agency will publicly release the letter rankings that Texas districts would have received, should the system have been in place during the 2015-2016 (last) school year. The new A-F system doesn't officially launch until August 2018.