Area schools receive accountability ratings
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released accountability ratings Thursday, Aug. 15. All school districts within Grimes County received passing grades.
Anderson-Shiro and Io-la each earned A’s overall, Richards earned a B and Navasota received a D rating. Iola Elementary scored 82 of 100 (B) and the high school was a 96 of 100 (A).
“One of our keys to success is that our teachers do an amazing job building relationships with students and their families,” explained Iola superintendent Scott Martindale. “We have a very supportive school board and a strong community that is always willing to rally around the district. Simply put, it’s a great day to be a Bulldog.”
Anderson-Shiro Elementary scored 85 of 100 (B) and the secondary school earned an 89 of 100 (B). Richards Elementary was a 76 of 10 (C) and the high school earned an 80 of 100 (B).
Navasota ISD has six campuses within the district and has continued to show improvement. Navasota superintendent Stu Musick said five of the six campuses improved from the previous year with junior high being the exception. Three years ago, the district was classified as “Improvement Required” and had a score of 55. Two years ago, the district “Met Standard” with an overall 60. Last year the district obtained a 64 under the new A-F system.
“This year we continued to show improvement for the third year in a row and moved from a 64 to a 69.3 (D). A 69.5 would have given the district a C rating,” said Musick.
John C. Webb Elementary improved 10 points from last year to a 67 (D). Brule Elementary improved six points to a 74 (C). Navasota High School improved four points and received a distinction designation from the state for academic achievement in Mathematics which is within the top quartile in the state. High Point Elementary improved one point.
Navasota Junior High received an F.
“Our minimum expectation is that all of our campuses are a C and working toward a B or better. The same is true for our district expectation that we will be a C with a good chance of being a B with continued improvements academically,” explained Musick.
Musick stated it is important to remember the new A-F system includes the College, Career and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicator for the high school and Bizell, which also impacts the overall district rating. “However, that indicator is a year behind and is tied to the graduating seniors from 2018. But the academic ratings are tied to the seniors who just graduated in 2019. Our CCMR indicator is one year behind, but if we used the 2019 indicator, the high school would be a B rating and the district would have been a 79 and knocking on the door of a B. We look forward to seeing all of our improvements in CCMR pay off for the high school and for the district this time next year.”