Jarrell ISD Monday Memo

Cougars,

In today's Monday Memo, we're discussing a win for Texas students, teachers, and school districts across the state. Last week, a Travis County District judge ruled in the district's favor and issued a temporary injunction in our lawsuit with the Texas Education Agency. The injunction stops the release of the A-F accountability ratings from the 2022 - 2023 school year. Jarrell ISD is among the one hundred school districts suing TEA.

The lawsuit is necessary because TEA was trying to change the rules to the A-F accountability system for the 2022 - 23 school year after students had already taken the test. TEA's planned release of A-F ratings this fall would have been based on standards not shared with schools before the legally required August 15, 2022 deadline.

Chapter 39 of the Texas Education Code requires the State Education Commissioner to grade districts for the 2022 - 23 school year based on the methods implemented at the start of the school year. The proposed changes would have distorted academic gains and improvements public school districts are making. That's unreasonable and paints a false narrative about students, teachers, and schools.

Jarrell ISD had stellar academic gains for the 2022 - 23 school year. The proof is in the numbers. STAAR and EOC test results show:

• College, Career, and Military Readiness are up 41 points from the previous year.

• English 1 is up 21 points

• English 2 is up 12 points

• Algebra is up 17 points

• Biology is up 14 points

• US History is up 10 points

Reading:

• 3rd and 4th grades are up 13 points

• 4th and 5th grades are up 19 points

• 5th and 6th grades are up 2 points

• 6th and 7th grade are up 11 points

• 7th and 8th grade are up 4 points

Math

• 3rd and 4th grades are up 3 points

• 4th and 5th grades are up 12 points

• 5th and 6th grades are up 16 points

• 7th and 8th grades are up 21 points

Science

• 5th grade is up 22 points

• 8th grade is up 4 points

A trial date is set for February 12, 2024.