More HISD schools meet state standard

Number of schools with “Improvement Required” rating declines 31 percent

The number of Houston ISD schools meeting state standards is now the highest it has ever been under Texas’ tougher new accountability system.

According to preliminary ratings released Monday, 85 percent of HISD schools (235 out of 275) earned a “met standard” rating for the 2015-2016 school year, a 6-point increase from the previous year. At the same time, 18 fewer schools received an “improvement required” rating. HISD earned a “met standard” district rating.

“We are proud of our students, teachers, principals and everyone else in HISD who contributed to this strong progress,” said HISD Board of Education President Manuel Rodríguez Jr. “We must continue improving until every child in Houston attends a high-quality school.”

This is the fourth year in which Texas has rated schools using the current accountability system, which considers four factors for the student body as a whole, and for racial and ethnic minority groups. Those factors include:

  • Performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR)
  • Student progress from year to year
  • Closing performance gaps
  • Postsecondary readiness

More than half (31 out of 58) of the HISD schools that were considered “improvement required” last year have now met the state standard. Those schools are Halpin Early Childhood Center; Alcott, Bastian, Berry, Burrus, Codwell, Elmore, Foster, Garcia, Hartsfield, Helms, N.Q. Henderson, Jefferson, Martinez, Milne, Montgomery, Peterson, Ross, Stevens, Thompson, Tinsley and Wainwright elementary schools; Deady, Fondren, Fonville, McReynolds, Sugar Grove and Thomas middle schools; Kandy Stripe Academy; and Scarborough and Yates high schools.

The significant improvement comes in spite of tougher passing standards on this year’s STAAR exams. The percent of HISD students performing at the advanced level on STAAR in grades 3-8 is the highest it has been over the last three years. The percentage of students who passed high school-level end of course exams in three of five subjects (English, English II, and history) increased this year, while the passing rates remained steady in algebra and biology.