Houston ISD students improved STAAR test scores during first year of state buyout, preliminary data shows – Houston Public Media

Houston ISD high school students have progressed proficiently during the first year of the state’s takeover of Texas’ largest school district, according to preliminary standardized test results.

State-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles touted the improving STAAR test scores during a news conference Wednesday, the last day of the school year. He said early data shows students in schools in the new education system outperformed scores earned by non-NES students, but students across the district showed overall improvement.

“The students and teachers did a really good job,” Miles said. “This is one of the highest years of academic growth the district has ever seen.”

Early data shows that student test scores increased in all five subjects of the assessment. Closer to pre-pandemic levels, students who scored at or above grade level improved their Algebra 1 test scores by five points compared to last year.

English 1 test results predicted a three-point increase, and English II results showed a five-point score improvement, according to preliminary data.

Houston Independent School District

Biology test scores showed a 14-point increase from last year, while U.S. history scores remained stable.

“It’s only been a year, you can’t close a 35-point, or 40-point gap in some cases overnight,” Miles said.

The state’s takeover of Houston ISD was partly motivated by low test scores on one campus. The state-appointed school board wants to significantly increase the percentage of students who meet grade-level standards on the exam.

“The STAAR exams are a valid and reliable assessment, but they are only given once a year,” he said. “So this is a snapshot of how our children are performing in terms of skills. We also use other data to determine how well our children are doing.

Starting Friday, STAAR test scores will be available through the Texas Assessment portal, according to the Texas Education Agency.

“The overwhelming majority of our children had a good academic experience, and the overwhelming majority of our teachers, principals and students stepped up and engaged and achieved some of the highest scores the district has ever seen , despite these changes.” Miles said.

Miles’ salute to the district’s educators comes just weeks after the superintendent confirmed that across-the-board departmental cuts are imminent and necessary to close a $500 million budget gap.

The district did not say how many teachers will not have their contracts renewed next year, but said principals evaluate data, not just anecdotal information, to make decisions about which teachers should to come back.

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“Next week we’ll talk about the results for grades 3 through 8, and you’ll see the results in those grades in reading and math, it’s probably the largest growth of any urban district in Texas history “Miles said Wednesday.