AISD meets performance standards; two campuses receive distinction designations The Texas Education Agency released accountability ratings a few days ago, and the news at Athens ISD is good. The school district met all four of the performance standards established by the state. Those standards — also referred to as performance indexes — are: student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness. “This is excellent news,” said Superintendent Blake Stiles. “It means on a district level we are hitting performance targets established by the state. It reflects the efforts of our teachers and campus leadership to do all we can to educate every one of our students to the best of our ability.” The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has been overhauling the state’s accountability system for some time now, making it impossible to directly compare this year’s ratings with those released last year. TEA is reducing its emphasis on standardized test scores by calculating other factors, such as graduation rates and how well a district closes achievement gaps between minority and economically disadvantaged students and their white or wealthier counterparts. On an individual campus level, there are two standouts within the district: South Athens Elementary and Athens High School. South Athens received four “distinction designations” in the following areas: academic achievement in mathematics; top 25 percent in student progress; top 25 percent in closing performance gaps; and postsecondary readiness. “Postsecondary readiness” for elementary and middle schools means students are prepared for the rigors of high school. At the high school level, it means achieving a high graduation rate and student readiness for success in college, the workforce, job training programs or the military. Athens High School received two distinction designations: one for academic achievement in mathematics and one for postsecondary readiness. “There’s definitely an excitement on campus,” said South Athens Elementary Principal Kelye Garcie after the accountability ratings were released. “It’s an amazing thing to see the dedication of our teachers, day after day, working hard, and the students just did so well. We’re going to celebrate for a minute, and then get right back to work.” Athens High School Principal Jami Ivey said they are very pleased to see the hard work of their teachers and students honored. “We also recognize we still have some gains to make. So we’re going to focus on that,” she said, “and celebrate the victories as they come. We’re proud of our students and teachers.” Bel Air Elementary and Athens Intermediate campuses met the standard on all four of the performance indexes. Athens Middle School met three out of the four standards, resulting in an accountability rating of “improvement required.” The performance index not met was in the category of closing performance gaps. “There was a new element added to the method for gaging how well a campus or district closes the performance gaps between minority and non-minority or economically disadvantaged and wealthier students,” explained Stiles. “The target score for that particular performance index was set at 27. We missed the mark by a single point. In every other measure on that campus, we exceed the target goal. Of course, we would have liked to have hit every mark, and that is always our goal. But it’s certainly worth noting how close the campus came to doing just that.” This year’s reports carried only two ratings for districts as a whole and individual campuses: “met standard” or “improvement required.” According to the TEA, beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year, school districts will be assigned letter grades running A through F, making it easier for the public to understand.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 21:27:48 +0000
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