After saying it was treated unfairly, the Duncanville School District has decided not to appeal the state’s low academic rating.
When the Texas Education Agency (TEA) issued new ratings for school districts last month Duncanville was the only large North Texas district that was labeled, “needs improvement.” The rest were found to have met state standards.
The education agency said Duncanville had fallen short on graduating enough students under the recommended or distinguished diploma plans. Instead, at least 40 percent of Duncanville’s graduates received diplomas under the so-called minimum plan, which requires fewer credit hours, no foreign language and fewer high level math, science and English courses.
At the time Duncanville Superintendent Alfred Ray said the state’s rating unfairly discounted the district’s technology and career program.
“We have many in our health, science technology programs who are in different careers like nursing and dental assistants. Automotive technology, body repair, many other programs where our kids are going to go straight to the workforce,” Ray explained.
“They’re trying to say that’s not valuable,” he said of the TEA.
But TEA Commissioner Michael Williams said technology students should still be graduating with recommended courses, and not a less rigorous curriculum meant for struggling learners.
“It was the policy of the state that we are trying to get kids ready to go to college because it was our belief that we could prepare every kid to go to college. Clearly Duncanville had a different policy,” Williams said.
The TEA has given Duncanville until October 31, to file a plan detailing how the district will improve.
