Lynn Walsh

A story published for Texas Watchdog:

Video: HISD Trustee Harvin Moore addresses TEA accountability ratings
Tue Aug 10 18:16:00 2010 CST
By Lynn Walsh

More Houston Independent School District schools are receiving higher state accountability ratings than last year, recent reports released from the Texas Education Agency show, but critics blast the standards as too low.

Over 100 schools in the Houston Independent School District received the highest state rating of “exemplary” this year and almost 250 schools in HISD made “adequate yearly progress,” or AYP, a federal requirement for campuses and states that measures reading, math and graduation and attendance rates. In both instances, the number of schools meeting the standard is greater than last year.

But what does it all mean? AYP ratings are a result of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. TAKS test results are used when determining both federal AYP ratings and TEA accountability ratings–exemplary, recognized, not acceptable, etc. But critics say the standards have gotten so diluted as to be a poor measure of achievement.

The Texas Tribune reported on the issue last month, underscoring the measure’s unreliability.

In fifth grade reading, 44 percent of students who were projected to pass actually failed. In eighth grade math, 38 percent. In 11th grade reading and math, 30 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

Houston Chronicle columnist Rick Casey questioned the use of the Texas Projection Measure last week:

Schools and school districts are bumped up one rating level if the TPM projects their students to do well enough to reach that level within the next few years.

I don’t blame administrators or teachers, especially those with responsibility for educating low-income children, for liking the TPM. They have a tough job, and they enjoy getting public credit for making gains, even if those gains don’t show up in passing rates on the high-stakes test.

And the West University Examiner raised questions about specific HISD schools that made it on the state’s list of “acceptable” schools:

Curiously, also listed as recognized is Fondren Middle School, called a failing school by HISD and placed in the Apollo program for schools in need of immediate turnaround or risk potential closure by the state. Other Apollo schools were included in the acceptable category, including Ryan, Dowling and Attucks middle schools. Four high schools in the Apollo initiative, Sharpstown, Lee, Jones and Kashmere, were named unacceptable. Kashmere and Key were previously on the state’s acceptable list until a recent TEA ruling that demoted both due to findings of test data improprieties.

It is not just the media that is questioning the rating system used by the TEA. HISD trustee Harvin Moore has for months raised concerns over the current rating system during board meetings. Moore has even opined on the issue on his personal blog, The Transformation Times:

“Each year, state standards boards have announced that they are lowering their ‘cut scores’ (number of questions a child must answer correctly to pass) for various noble reasons, usually because ‘the test questions are harder this year, so the same level of proficiency is reflected by a smaller number of correct answers.’”

Moore discussed with Texas Watchdog what he believes may be the solution to inflated state accountability ratings and lowered cutoff scores: Common Core. Watch the clip below for more.

Contact Lynn Walsh at 713-228-2850 or lynn@texaswatchdog.org. Follow news about the Houston Independent School District on Twitter, #HISD.