October 1, 2015 5:13 PM

TEA releases locally created ratings on community and student engagement

These ratings were the legislature’s attempt in 2013 to broaden the definition of school and district ratings to incorporate qualities apart from standardized tests.

New locally assigned ratings announced by the Texas Education Agency today are here to remind you that Texas school districts are just like Garrison Keillor’s fictional Lake Wobegon: all the women are strong; all the men are good-looking; and all the children definitely are above average.

Every single school district and charter holder in Texas, bar one, gave itself a rating of acceptable or better on Community and Student Engagement. The majority gave campuses ratings of Recognized or Exemplary in areas such as fine arts, wellness/physical education, gifted-and-talented programs, 21^st century workforce programs, dropout prevention, second language acquisition and digital learning.

These ratings were the legislature’s attempt in 2013 to broaden the definition of school and district ratings to incorporate qualities apart from standardized tests. The ratings are incorporated into TEA’s consolidated accountability report without comment or even a footnote to explain or define the locally created ratings.

By Kimberly Reeves