Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles believes the state takeover could end sooner than expected thanks to improving STAAR test scores.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — The state-appointed superintendent of the Houston Independent School District said state takeover of the district could end sooner than expected based on this year’s STAAR test results.

Superintendent Mike Miles made the revelation during a press conference Wednesday afternoon, in response to a question from Eyewitness News.

“If we maintain such growth, we will soon be able to move to an elected board,” Miles said.

PREVIOUS STORY: Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles says he needs 4-5 years to turn around district

HISD released data showing an increase in test scores at its high schools. Subjects like English II and algebra saw jumps of five points. The biggest change came in biology, which saw a jump of 14 points.

Schools that transitioned to Miles’ new education system saw even more significant progress. In biology, NES schools saw an 18-point jump, compared to a seven-point jump for non-NES schools.

“Maybe this suggests we can move out of intervention status sooner rather than later,” Miles said.

Returning to local control, Miles said the 123 schools with a “D” or “F” status should get a “C” or higher.

SEE ALSO: ‘School feels like prison’: District draws protesters as HISD addresses school budgets

He said many could be improved this year based on STAAR scores.

“I hope it won’t take seven or eight years. Maybe now it will only take a few years,” Miles said.

Judy Cheng, whose daughter attends Bellaire High School, celebrated the news.

“The school district is not independent when the state controls everything,” Cheng said.

She also cautioned against judging schools based solely on their growth.

“In a high-performing school where 100 percent of students are approaching grade level and 1 percent growth is not possible,” she said.

Miles predicts HISD will surpass the state and other large districts in growth. The Texas Education Agency will release its test results Friday.

SEE ALSO: Repurchase of HISD: 1-year review fraught with controversy

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