EAST TEXAS — Everyone is familiar with the A-F grading system, but for school districts in Texas, it's a new way of being graded by the Texas Education Agency.
Preliminary ratings for 1200 districts and charters were handed out at the beginning of the school year. As a requirement, the state then opened the appeals window for districts that wished to challenge its grade. This year, TEA received 172 appeals compared to only 66 received last year.
Of those this year, only 46 appeals were sent to the Commissioner of Education, and only three adjustments were granted.
No East Texas schools were included in the three grade changes. In Smith County, Lindale ISD remained the sole district to be scored an overall A-rating, with high scores across the board in the three evaluated categories.
The three indicators measured are student achievement, school progress, and closing the gaps, which tells how well different populations of students in the district are performing.
In a statement, Lindale ISD Superintendent Stan Surratt says, "We are very proud of the success of our students, teachers and staff members...but one single letter grade or word can never properly reflect or describe Lindale ISD."
While the TEA grades are acknowledged, some districts say the ratings aren’t the only indicator of its schools' success.
A representative of Longview ISD had this to say of its grade: "While we are satisfied with a ‘B’, we want to provide opportunities for our students to thrive in and out of the classroom to be successful lifelong learners and pillars of their community."
Despite Nacogdoches ISD’s ‘C’ grade, administrators say there's still reason to celebrate. Two of its elementary schools that were previously labeled "Improvement Required" climbed to the status of "Met Standard".
For Tyler ISD, TEA scored an overall C- grade, but the district received higher marks in the school progress category and earned record 33-academic distinctions across 12- campuses.
The new TEA grading system has been criticized by administrators of numerous districts. Some saying the grades oversimplify year-to-year performance by omitting accomplishments that cannot be scored.
To search a specific district’s rating, follow this link to the TEA website.
If you have an education related story, email CBCS19’s education reporter, LaDyrian Cole at lcole@cbs19.tv