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Denton school ratings edge up
10:05 AM CDT on Saturday, August 2, 2008
With three schools reaching “exemplary” status, the Denton school district appeared to make quite a few gains in its 2008 accountability ratings released Friday by the Texas Education Agency.
“Overall, we did very well compared to our own results last year,” Superintendent Ray Braswell said. “This is the most improvement we have seen with the TAKS test.”
The state’s accountability ratings rank districts and schools based primarily on how students perform on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.
The district’s status remained the same as last year, at “academically acceptable.”
The three exemplary campuses are Wilson — a Title I bilingual elementary school — and Hawk and Savannah elementary schools.
Of the district’s 28 schools, 11 reached “recognized” status this year and none were rated “unacceptable.” The district’s remaining 14 schools were rated acceptable.
Last year, out of 26 schools rated in the district, only one school was labeled exemplary and one school, Newton Rayzor Elementary School, was rated unacceptable.
This year Newton Rayzor achieved recognized status.
Seventeen schools were rated acceptable and seven were recognized in 2007.
Braswell attributed the district’s success to “a more focused effort” among school staff members.
A district can be rated on many factors, which fall under the following groups:
* The percentage of students in third though 11th grades required to pass each of the five TAKS test sections — reading/language arts, writing, math, science and social studies — which vary at each grade level;
* The percentage of students who complete high school; and
* The percentage of seventh- and eighth-graders who drop out of school.
Within each of the TAKS test groups, the state looks at several subcategories of students — black, Hispanic, white and economically disadvantaged students — and all students combined, which adds up to 25 TAKS accountability indicators.
In schools where any of those subgroups are too small, the state does not count them separately for the ratings.
“What is very exciting for us is that we improved in every accountability area” in reading, social studies, science and math, Braswell said.
The writing test revealed the district’s only declines from last year.
Three of the five subgroups stayed the same, while two of them slipped a couple of percentage points.
Braswell conceded that the district must improve in math and science but pointed out that there was significant improvement over last year’s scores.
Math improved in all five subgroups by 4 to 5 percentage points, with 72 percent being the lowest passing rate, while science improved in all groups by 5 to 11 percentage points, with the lowest passing rate at 62 percent.
For the past two years, the state set a provision that does not allow the seventh- and eighth-grade dropout data and the high school completion data to cause a lowered campus or district rating. The provision gives schools time to adjust to changes in the methods used to calculate dropout rates, according to TEA.
Denton and several other area school districts, including Argyle, Aubrey, Krum, Lake Dallas, Pilot Point, Ponder and Sanger, did not appear to benefit from the provision.
Among those school districts, two — Aubrey and Krum — reached recognized status; while all three of Ponder’s schools were rated recognized, the district’s rating remained acceptable.
“I’m extremely pleased,” said Aubrey Superintendent James Monaco.
He attributed the district’s success to the teachers and principals.
“I don’t think anything beats hard work,” he said.
The Argyle school district lost some footing in it accountability ratings.
It went from having two exemplary campuses last year to one this year.
Telena Wright, Argyle’s interim superintendent, said, “We’re very pleased that the high school did receive an exemplary rating.”
The middle school ratings dropped because this was the first year eighth-grade TAKS scores were counted, Wright said, and the school will have a plan in place to bring those scores up.
Wright attributed the drop in the accountability rating at the elementary school to the fact that four of its subgroups were counted this year after not being counted last year.
While Argyle has already been addressing its needs, she said, the district will increase its efforts in individual tutoring, assessment and evaluation.
AMY DODD THOMPSON can be reached at 940-566-6876. Her e-mail address is athompson@dentonrc.com.
This chart shows the 2007 and 2008 accountability ratings, which are based largely on TAKS scores, for school districts and their campuses. The system criteria and standards vary from year to year.
| DISTRICT AND SCHOOLS | 2007 RATING | 2008 RATING |
| Denton ISD | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Ryan High | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Denton High | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Guyer High | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Lester Davis | Not rated | Not rated |
| Denton County JJAEP | Not rated | Not rated |
| Fred More High* | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Joe Dale Sparks Campus* | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Crownover Middle | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Strickland Middle | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Calhoun Middle | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| McMath Middle | Recognized | Acceptable |
| Navo Middle | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Houston Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| Lee Elementary | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Hodge Elementary | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| McNair Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| N. Rayzor Elementary | Unacceptable | Recognized |
| Rivera Elementary | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Wilson Elementary | Recognized | Exemplary |
| Ginnings Elementary | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Borman Elementary | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Evers Park Elementary | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Ryan Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| The Ann Windle School | Not rated | Not rated |
| E.P. Rayzor Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| Pecan Creek Elementary | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Providence Elementary | Exemplary | Recognized |
| Hawk Elementary | Recognized | Exemplary |
| Savannah Elementary | Acceptable | Exemplary |
| Paloma Creek Elementary | Not rated | Recognized |
| L.A. Nelson Elementary | Not rated | Recognized |
| Argyle ISD | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Argyle High | Recognized | Exemplary |
| Argyle Middle | Exemplary | Recognized |
| Hilltop Elementary | Exemplary | Acceptable |
| Aubrey ISD | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Aubrey High | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Aubrey Middle | Recognized | Recognized |
| Aubrey Intermediate | Recognized | Recognized |
| Aubrey Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| Krum ISD | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Krum High | Recognized | Recognized |
| Krum Middle | Recognized | Recognized |
| Dyer Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| Blanche Dodd Intermediate | Recognized | Recognized |
| Lake Dallas ISD | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Lake Dallas High | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Lake Dallas Middle | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Lake Dallas Elementary | Not rated | Not rated |
| Lake Dallas Primary | Not rated | Recognized |
| Corinth Elementary | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Lake Dallas Intermediate | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Shady Shores Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| Pilot Point ISD | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Pilot Point High | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Pilot Point Selz Middle | Recognized | Recognized |
| Pilot Point Elementary | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Pilot Point Intermediate | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Ponder ISD | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Ponder High | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Ponder Junior High | Acceptable | Recognized |
| Ponder Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| Sanger ISD | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Sanger High | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Linda Tutt High* | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Sanger Middle | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Clear Creek Intermediate | Acceptable | Acceptable |
| Chisholm Trail Elementary | Recognized | Recognized |
| Tenderfoot Primary | Not rated | Not rated |
* Ratings are based on the Alternative Education Accountability state data
SOURCE: Texas Education Agency
2008 ACCOUNTABILITY RATING QUALIFICATIONS
The following shows what is required of schools and districts to meet the following standards:
* Exemplary -- 90 percent or higher passing rate for each TAKS subject; 95 percent completion rate for high schools; and a dropout rate of no higher than 2 percent for middle schools or junior highs, or meets required improvement standard
* Recognized -- 75 percent passing rate for each TAKS subject, or a passing rate of 70 percent to 74 percent and showing enough improvement on scores since 2007 to reach a 75 percent passing rate in two years; 85 percent completion rate, or have a completion rate of 75 percent to 84 percent while meeting the required improvement standard for high schools; a dropout rate at middle schools or junior highs no greater than 2 percent or meets the required improvement standard showing rate is declining enough each year to be at 2 percent within two years
* Acceptable -- In TAKS testing, a 70 percent or higher passing rate for English language arts or reading, a 65 percent or higher passing rate for writing and social studies, a 50 percent or higher passing rate for math, and 45 percent or higher passing rate for science, or meets required improvement provisions; and have at least a 75 percent completion rate, or meets a required improvement standard, at high schools; a dropout rate of no more than 2 percent or meets required improvement provisions
* Unacceptable -- Failure to meet acceptable testing standards; failure to meet acceptable completion and/or dropout standards
Note: Minimum percentages for TAKS passing rates and for completion and dropout rates apply to all students in grades three to 11 and also to each of these student subgroups: black, Hispanic, white, economically disadvantaged and total student body.
SOURCE: Texas Education Agency
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