May 25, 2011
Granbury ISD expects to receive a Recognized accountability rating from the Texas Education Agency based on preliminary state test scores received by the school district. Three schools – Acton Middle School, Acton Elementary School, and Oak Woods School – lead campuses with preliminary Exemplary ratings.
“We are pleased with the preliminary results of our TAKS tests from all campuses,” said superintendent Ron Mayfield. “We had some really good gains across the district when you compare last year’s raw scores to this year’s raw scores.”
“All district and campus ratings this year are earned on actual raw scores. Last year’s district and campus ratings had the advantage of utilizing the Texas Projection Measure (TPM) that the legislature and TEA commissioner Robert Scott chose to take away,” the superintendent explained.
Mayfield continued, “We’re still seeking the elusive Exemplary rating for all campuses and for the district. We would have had several more campuses receive the Exemplary rating if the utilization of TPM was available this year.”
Based on the preliminary test scores, five other campuses will likely receive Recognized ratings. They are Baccus Elementary School, Brawner Intermediate School (including Roberson Elementary School), Crossland Ninth Grade Center, and Mambrino School. Roberson, which has students in grades PK-2 and does not administer state tests, is paired with Brawner because the campuses share an attendance zone.
Preliminarily, both Granbury High School and Granbury Middle School would be given an Academically Acceptable rating. Still pending are scores of a second administration of reading and math tests for eighth and fifth graders. Those students who were not successful during the initial testing in early April took the exams again in mid-May. Scores for campuses with these grade levels – including GMS – could increase if additional students pass these tests.
Had the TPM standard been utilized for accountability ratings this year, the district and eight of ten campuses would have reached the Exemplary level with both GHS and GMS being Recognized. “The teachers and campus administrators worked their hearts out, playing by the same rules that we had in place for the last two years,” Mayfield said. “Their determination and hard work paid off. It is just disappointing that TEA decided to change the rules at the last minute.”
STARS Academy, which is the district’s alternative academic high school, will likely be Academically Acceptable - the highest rating under the Alternative Education Accountability (AEA) system. This rating system evaluates the performance of alternative education centers that are dedicated to serving students at risk of dropping out of school. AEA schools are only rated as acceptable or unacceptable.
Students assigned to the Behavior Transition Center are included in their regular campuses, and that school will not receive a separate rating.
The accountability ratings are preliminary because TEA only releases raw test scores from the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) to each school district, which can analyze the student scores for estimated ratings. Final accountability ratings will be released by the state agency on August 1, 2011.
