Students starting the new school year will soon begin receiving grades on their various assignments. At the same time, parents and other community members are able to see if their local schools and campuses are making the grade in a fresh update to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) rating system of all public school districts.
Spring Branch ISD serves 33,474 students at 46 campuses. According to the report, SBISD showed significant improvement among grade levels across the district while earning an overall high B grade on the state agency’s rating scale.
Preliminary results reflected improvement in combined third through eighth grades across every subject at every performance level. Among students in grades three through five, performance improved in every grade and subject area at the “approaches” and “meets grade level” categories.
The report also cites improvement in ratings in 13 campuses. Spring Oaks Middle School, Thornwood Elementary and Spring Branch Elementary, whose overall ratings were Fs in 2019, scored Bs in 2022. Spring Shadows Elementary, Terrace Elementary and Woodview Elementary improved their D ratings in 2019 to Bs.
Terrace Elementary parent Caroline Bennett Clay, along with many Spring Shadows residents, were quick to celebrate the recent ratings.
“The team of teachers there (at Terrace) are phenomenal. Kids learn best when they love learning and Terrace does a great job of making learning fun and engaging,” she said.
As a volunteer and president of the campus PTA, Clay experienced first-hand that “Terrace was more than the rating given prior.”
SBISD Superintendent Jennifer Blaine acknowledged the hard work of each member of Spring Branch ISD community.
“I am grateful for our district leadership, teachers and staff, parents and our community, who are focused on supporting our students. Our Collaborative Spirit is reflected in our dedication to student success,” she said.
Spring Branch ISD has improved its overall TEA Rating in the past three reports each year. The district credits the continued growth with focus on its “T-2-4 vision,” which pledges that every SBISD graduate will attain a technical certificate, military training, or a two or four-year degree. Emphasis on literacy, numeracy, social-emotional supports, English learners and Career & Technical Education continue to play a crucial role in preparing students to enter a global workforce equipped with job skills or academic preparedness.
To view the 2022 accountability ratings for districts and campuses, visit TXschools.gov.
The 2022 A-F Accountability Ratings for schools and districts statewide are the first since 2019, when the agency paused reporting ratings due to the pandemic. In the meantime, all districts and schools received a label of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster.
During the rating reporting hiatus, districts and campuses received report-only accountability results, student listings, and data tables. Scaled scores and letter grades were not published. But this year’s return to publishing of the ratings includes data for 1,195 districts and 8,451 campuses in Texas.
On the statewide level, the agency reports student academic growth with 25 percent of districts and 33 percent of campuses improving their letter grades from the 2019 report. Additionally, TEA data reveals that of the designated high-poverty Texas campuses, 18 percent rated at the highest level.
“These results show our state’s significant investment in the post-pandemic academic recovery of Texas public school students is bearing fruit,” said Texas Education Commissioner, Mike Morath. “I’m grateful for the driving force behind this year’s success: our teachers and local school leaders.”
The TEA ratings are based on three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps.
— by Jessika Leal
