Here’s how Hidalgo County school districts did in newly released TEA ratings

The release of the 2022-23 Texas Education Agency (TEA) A-F accountability ratings on April 24 marked the first time in five years the grades have been made public, and Hidalgo County schools districts were rated on par with much of the state with a couple of A’s, a lot of B’s and some districts scoring C’s and one D.

Out of Hidalgo County school districts, only two earned an A rating, ten were rated a B, four received a C and two were given a D.

The two A rated school districts were public charter schools, South Texas ISD and Vanguard Public Charter School.

“We are immensely proud of our district community for earning South Texas ISD an A in the State Accountability Ratings recently released by TEA,” Marco Antonio Lara, South Texas ISD superintendent, said in an email. “Although these are not the most recent ratings, it is still an indication that we are heading in the right direction as a district. We appreciate the opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments and areas for growth as we plan for future years.”

School districts with B ratings in Hidalgo County ranged from the McAllen, Edinburg, PSJA, Weslaco, Valley View and Monte Alto school districts.

Sharyland ISD was rated B and had an accountability overview of 89 out of 100, just falling short of A status which the district had prior to the 2022-23 ratings.

Sharyland ISD Superintendent Elaine Howard said the change of how the state evaluates schools was a bit unfair and could have been done differently, but she welcomed the challenge to get back on top with the new benchmarks.

“I think the best thing is, is we know what the rules of the game are now, and we know how we’re being scored and it’s always better to be in a space where you understand how the game is being played,” Howard said. “Down here in the Valley, when I’ve talked to my peers at other school districts, we are going to embrace this as an opportunity to show the rest of the state who we are as a region.”

The four school districts given a C rating are the Donna, Mission, Mercedes and Progreso school districts.

Students participate in activities during the Pre-K Round-Up on Feb. 23, 2024, at Mission CISD. (Courtesy: Mission CISD/Facebook)

The Edcouch-Elsa and La Villa school districts each received a D rating.

EEISD Superintendent Alda Benavides, who was not at the helm during that time period, said the ratings are definitely not where the district wanted them to be.

“The district had embraced new curriculum at the time and anytime that you have a new curriculum, scores are expected to dip,” Benavides said. “They took a leap … and the results were not what we wanted them to be.”

Since joining EEISD, she said the district is trending upward by partnering with Region One Education Service Center to provide ongoing professional development, principal and teacher coaching, targeted support and aligning curriculum.

“I think I know that our scores are trending upward,” Benavides said. “Of course, it takes time, and we’ve been working with the teachers diligently to where they can feel comfortable in adding other materials as necessary when the items in the curriculum are not as aligned as they need to be.”

LEGAL FIGHT

The 2022-2023 TEA performance ratings were locked in a legal battle for 19 months after several districts sued the state to challenge changes to rating standards.

The A-F system was established by the 85th Texas Legislature through House Bill 22 in 2017 to provide clear and consistent information on how schools are performing.

In 2023, the state announced schools need to meet stricter benchmarks for a good rating in the scale system. One change was that high schools can only get an A if 88% of seniors enrolled in college, pursued a non-college career or entered the military. The standard used to be at 60%.

Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath speaks to Stillman Middle School Parent Volunteers about the importance of standardized testing for student achievement Wednesday morning, Aug. 23, 2023, in Brownsville. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

The 15th Court of Appeals earlier this month ruled that TEA Commissioner Mike Morath did not overstep his authority when he changed college readiness metrics that play a part in determining schools’ performance ratings.

Schools did not get rated from 2019-2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TEA still cannot release the 2023-24 ratings due to a separate lawsuit. School performance ratings from 2024-2025 are scheduled to be issued in August.

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