Frisco ISD joins legal battle against TEA new accountability measures

Frisco, Texas - The Texas Education Agency (TEA) annually assesses schools in the Frisco Independent School District (Frisco ISD) using a grading system from A to F. These grades mainly depend on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results. However, the criteria for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic cycles have not been established.

Commissioner Mike Morath and the TEA have not finalized the grading methods for upcoming school ratings. Due to this, the Frisco ISD Board of Trustees agreed to join a legal challenge against the TEA, initiated by Kingsville ISD. This challenge, costing between $5,000 and $10,000, criticizes the lack of clear performance measures for the upcoming academic years.

The goal of this legal action is to stop the commissioner from using unclear grading measures. The new A-F grading system has raised concerns, especially the decision to increase the ‘A’ grade threshold for college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) to 88% for 2023. This is a significant jump from the previous 60%. Notably, this 88% will consider the achievements of 2022 students, who graduated 15 months before this new standard.

Frisco ISD supports high academic standards but believes that districts should have enough time to adapt to new benchmarks.

“Accountability is an important orienting aspect for a school district; however, the arbitrary application of new measures without the required advanced notice will potentially give the appearance that schools across the state, including Frisco ISD, are declining,” commented Frisco ISD Superintendent Dr. Mike Waldrip.

Despite an increase in STAAR scores and more students meeting the CCMR benchmarks, Frisco ISD expects a possible decline in ratings. This is due to changes in the grading system, affecting many Texas schools. Some schools may even drop by multiple grades.

In March 2023, Frisco ISD led an effort urging the TEA to review the new grading system. This request was part of a letter signed by 250 Texas school districts.

The new accountability ratings were supposed to be released on September 28, based on new criteria. A major change is the increase of the CCMR threshold from 60% to 88% to get an 'A' grade. But on September 12, the TEA announced a one-month delay to re-examine the data.

A temporary restraining order hearing is scheduled for September 25, a day before the initial release date.

Several districts, including Crowley ISD, Edinburg CISD, Kingsville ISD, Klein ISD, and Pflugerville ISD, have joined the legal challenge against TEA.

In 2022, Frisco ISD was the top North Texas district to get an 'A' rating from TEA.

This situation emphasizes the need for clear communication and understanding in the field of educational accountability.

Credit: Frisco Independent School District, Dallas Metro News