30 May 2008
Approximately 100 Dallas schools likely to be named exemplary or recognized by TEA
DALLAS–Students in the Dallas Independent School District scored higher than ever in every subject except writing on the 2008 administration of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
Preliminary results indicate that approximately 100 Dallas ISD schools are likely to be named exemplary or recognized by the Texas Education Agency when accountability ratings are released this August. The final ratings will include high school completion rates and middle school dropout rates, which have yet to be tabulated.
"This is truly a milestone," said Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa. "To have so many schools in Dallas listed preliminarily as either exemplary or recognized shows that we are clearly moving in the right direction, particularly when the criteria to reach these levels is getting more difficult. While there is still a lot of work to be done, these results are very encouraging."
The number of Dallas ISD schools rated as exemplary or recognized in 2007 was 50, with 14 schools rated exemplary and 36 rated as recognized. Preliminary data from the Texas Education Agency indicates that as many as 26 Dallas schools will be rated as exemplary, while 76 may be named recognized schools—both all-time highs for Dallas ISD.
"The preliminary figures indicate that the number of exemplary schools in Dallas has quadrupled since 2005," said Hinojosa. "At the same time, we have doubled the number of recognized schools."
The percentage of Dallas students passing the state's reading exam went up in every grade. The largest gain was made by Dallas 8th grade students, whose passing percentages rose 9.4 percent to a level of 90 percent passing.
"90 percent passing the state reading exam in 8th grade is significant," said Hinojosa. "As all educators know, reading is the gateway subject for every other subject so to see these kinds of gains is very gratifying."
The percentage of students passing the mathematics test also rose by nearly four percent. Gains were made by students of every ethnicity. The percentage of students passing the writing test dropped by one percentage point. The writing exam, however, is only administered in grades 4 and 7. While fourth grade writing passing percentages went up slightly, 7th grade writing scores dropped more than 3 points to a percentage of 83 percent passing.
"The continued gains in mathematics are encouraging," said Hinojosa. "It is still, however, the area where our students need the most improvement. We will also examine the seventh grade writing scores in detail and see what can be done to raise the scores at least to previous levels."
Also of significance is that gains were made districtwide by students of every ethnicity in every subject except writing. The gains made by African American and Hispanic students on the science exam helped the district raise its passing levels in that subject significantly.
The preliminary number of Dallas schools likely to be rated as academically unacceptable dropped in 2008, from 26 to 20. This number may increase when completion and drop out rates are included.
"The lower performing schools are still an area of concern," said Hinojosa. "We will continue to provide additional resources to these schools to help staff raise student achievement. If changes are necessary at these locations, we will not hesitate to make them."
The number of Dallas students who achieved the state's commended level also rose in 2008. This is a key indicator because of the district's goal stated by the Dallas Achieves! initiative to prepare all students for college and the workforce.
"The trend upward on the number of students achieving at the commended level is very positive," said Hinojosa. "At the same time, it gives us our best indicator of how far we still need to go as educators in preparing all students for the future."