A Travis County judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from releasing its school accountability ratings for the second consecutive year. The ruling, made by Judge Karin Crump, came on the same day that Texas school districts filed a new lawsuit challenging changes to the metrics used to evaluate their performance. The legal battle underscores ongoing tensions between the state and local school districts over how educational performance is assessed.

The Background

The controversy over how Texas school districts should be graded has been brewing for over a year. The ratings, which significantly impact public perceptions of schools, are largely based on student performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). This annual standardized test evaluates students’ understanding of the state-mandated core curriculum.

In recent years, Texas legislators mandated a redesign of the STAAR test to be implemented by 2023. The redesign aimed to move the test online and reduce the number of multiple-choice questions, making the test more comprehensive. This year, for the first time, the TEA introduced computer-based grading for students’ written responses.

In addition to the STAAR redesign, the state announced that schools would need to meet stricter benchmarks to achieve high ratings under the accountability system, which grades schools on an A-F scale. For instance, to receive an A rating, high schools must now ensure that 88% of their seniors enroll in college, pursue non-college careers, or enter the military, a significant increase from the previous 60% benchmark.

The state argues that these stricter benchmarks are necessary to better prepare students for life after high school. However, many Texas school districts believe the state is pushing these changes too quickly, without allowing adequate time for schools to adapt.

The Second Lawsuit

The latest lawsuit represents the second time in recent months that Texas school districts have taken legal action against the TEA’s rating system. School district leaders are particularly concerned about the validity of this year’s STAAR results, given that the automated grading system was used for the first time. They argue that the low scores in the STAAR reading section are more a reflection of flaws in the new grading tool than of students’ abilities or teachers’ performance.

Nick Maddox, an attorney representing the school districts, emphasized the dramatic nature of the changes, stating, “The STAAR test itself, the changes were fairly radical this time around. The trend for all school districts is that scores have decreased fairly significantly. We believe that the issue is this test itself.”

The districts are calling for the TEA to commission a third-party review of the STAAR test to ensure its fairness and accuracy. They argue that the current system cannot be trusted to produce fair evaluations of school districts’ performance.

The First Lawsuit

The first legal challenge to the A-F rating system came last fall when a Travis County judge temporarily blocked the release of the 2023-2024 ratings. This ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by over 120 school districts, which argued that the TEA had not provided sufficient notice before implementing the stricter college readiness standards. The judge has yet to make a final ruling on this case, and the TEA has indicated that it plans to appeal the decision.

This ongoing legal strife adds to a period of uncertainty for Texas schools and families. Schools and districts did not receive ratings in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Senate Bill 1365 provided struggling schools with additional relief by allowing them to avoid official ratings, thereby giving them more time to recover from the pandemic’s impact.

Why the A-F Accountability System Matters

The A-F accountability system is a critical tool for evaluating the performance of Texas schools. Each school district and individual school is graded annually based on standardized test scores, academic growth, and progress in closing achievement gaps related to race and socioeconomic status.

For parents, these ratings are essential in making informed decisions about where to enroll their children. For schools, the stakes are high, as low grades can lead to significant consequences, including decreased funding due to student attrition and, in extreme cases, state takeovers, as seen with the Houston Independent School District.

As the legal battles over Texas school ratings continue, the future of the A-F accountability system and its impact on the state’s educational landscape remains uncertain.