Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde used her state of the district Tuesday night to address the district’s recent accountability rating and point to accomplishments she said the grade can’t reflect.
Speaking at the Winspear Opera House, Elizalde declared the district strong because of its employees.
“I don’t believe it’s ever been stronger,” she said.
The Texas Education Agency recently released district accountability ratings for 2023 after they had been held up by a lengthy court challenge. They showed the district’s letter grade of B in 2022 dropped to a C based on scores in 2023.
Elizalde said there’s a lot of work to do, but the district is ready.
She said the district accomplished a lot that a single letter grade — based largely on one test given near the end of the year — can’t reveal.
She said more than 1,500 high school graduates in 2024 earned more than 60 college credits or high-wage, high skill certifications.
“Those numbers are up from the previous year,” she said, “and they do represent real world success. And some of that doesn't always show up in an A through F rating, do they?”
Texas lawmakers are considering a bill that would change the state’s STAAR test that influences accountability ratings.
Wrapping up her 10-minute speech, Elizalde welcomed the possible STAAR replacement with “a real-time progress monitoring immediate feedback system that will give us actionable data.”
She also welcomed tests not just administered within Texas.
“Let’s not be afraid,” she said. “Let's challenge the status quo and compare ourselves to other states. That would be real growth.”
She acknowledged that may not happen this session, but said she remains hopeful.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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