Fort Worth ISD remains a C-rated district after TEA review of A-F scores
The Fort Worth Independent School District’s C rating remains unchanged after state education officials asked the district to re-check its math on self-calculated A-F scores it released last week.
Fort Worth ISD leaders released A-F accountability ratings for each campus, as well as the district as a whole, ahead of the district’s Sept. 10 board workshop. District leaders said they calculated those ratings using the Texas Education Agency’s formula. But the district did so without first confirming their numbers with TEA, which is barred from releasing official ratings under a court order.
On Tuesday, a week after releasing the grades publicly, Fort Worth ISD submitted its self-calculated scores to TEA for review. The agency flagged a number of areas where the district’s figures differed from TEA’s. Because of the court order, TEA officials couldn’t say publicly what the issues were.
Fort Worth ISD spokesperson Cesar Padilla said Thursday that district leaders think only one campus — World Languages Institute, a school of choice that specializes in bilingual education — would see a letter grade change, falling from an A to a B. TEA confirmed Fort Worth ISD’s overall score of 70, giving the district a C rating, Padilla said.
Texas schools aren’t likely to see official A-F ratings anytime soon. On Wednesday, a Travis County judge granted several school districts’ request to block TEA from releasing the accountability ratings. Those districts argue the ratings are invalid because they’re based largely on the results of state tests that were scored using automated grading systems. Districts across the state saw large upticks in the number of students receiving zeroes after the switch to automated grading.
This week’s injunction continues a previous court order issued last month, also blocking the release of A-F scores. TEA officials say they plan to appeal.
