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Some North Texas Winners, Losers In TEA Annual Ratings

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More Dallas ISD schools need improvement compared to last year, while Duncanville ISD met the state’s minimum standards, which it didn’t a year ago. We sift through more annual school ratings, out today from the Texas Education Agency.

Every North Texas school district met the state required standard in 2014. Duncanville ISD improved even though nearly a third of its campuses failed to measure up.

A year ago, 34 Dallas schools rated “improvement required” under the new system. This year that number rose to 43.

“We have provisions they’ll have to follow, perhaps implement a new campus improvement plan,” says DeEttaCulbertson’s, spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency. Perhaps look at re-staffing. It’ll have to be determined by that individual campus so that they can meet the standards and they can rise above that “improvement required.” 

The problem is, what DISD has tried so far mostly hasn’t worked. Many of last year’s low performing schools made the list again. There was good news though - fifteen Dallas schools earned the highest rating, including three magnet schools in Town View Center, Booker T. Washington’s Arts Magnet,  and Stone Elementary in Vickery Meadow.

In Fort Worth ISD, the number of schools needing improvement dropped from 28 last year to 24. The only Fort Worth school to earn the highest rating – 6 distinctions - was the Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

Across Texas, the TEA’s Culbertson says only 26 school districts earned the highest mark for graduting students career or college-ready.

“It’s an indicator that shows students at that campus or district,” Culbertson says, “are at a level where they can function with success in college the work force, job training programs or the military.”

In North Texas, Richardson ISD was among those 26. Superintendent Kay Waggoner says the district worked hard for the honor.

“We start talking early about career and college readiness,” Waggoner says, “about building that dream, that they call can go to school. This past year we’ve participated with the national math and science initiative, to train all our math and science teachers in AP strategies.”  

Waggoner says Richardson’s concentrated on career and college preparation for the last four years, and the TEA says it’s paid off. 

Bill Zeeble has been a full-time reporter at KERA since 1992, covering everything from medicine to the Mavericks and education to environmental issues.