The Houston Independent School District earned an overall “Met Standard” rating, according to school accountability results released today by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

The number of HISD campuses awarded a Met Standard rating also grew. Nearly 83 percent of the schools met all required performance standards, compared to 78 percent in 2012-2013.

“The work we are doing to address schools that were falling behind in student achievement is paying off,” said HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. “There is still more work to be done, but we are headed in the right direction. We will continue to find ways to close the performance gap and improve student achievement.”

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Even though it was billed as a “Welcome Back” rally for HISD administrators Friday at Chavez HS, Superintendent Terry Grier was quick to make a distinction. “It’s a ‘we never went anywhere’ event,” he said, thanking the hundreds of employees who worked through the summer.

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Among those Grier acknowledged were the principals at 29 of the district’s schools that offered extended-year programs for students through last week, and those who worked on the district’s new Linked Learning approach that creates a single pathway for academic rigor and career preparation with 40 pilot schools, the second phase of the PowerUp one-to-one laptop initiative, which will add 18 high schools, and expansion of dual language programs to a total of 28 HISD campuses.
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