Category Archives: ratings

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Birdville ISD maintains a B rating by the state 

Despite the more than two years of COVID impacting classroom instruction, BISD maintained a B rating on the state’s annual report card, which relies heavily on STAAR to measure key metrics of “achievement, growth and closing the gaps.” (BISD’s rating was recently misreported by the media.)

We are proud of the resilience of our students, staff and the whole BISD family.  

As we look forward to the 2022–23 school year, the District will continue to focus on areas that have suffered the most during the pandemic. 

Learn more school ratings at txschools.gov. 

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A–F Ratings: It Will Not Define Us

afratings

 

Dear BISD Families,

On Friday, Jan. 6, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will release provisional A–F ratings for districts and campuses based on data from the 2015–16 school year as required by HB 2804 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2015.

While Birdville ISD believes that schools and districts should be held accountable for providing the highest quality education for students, we encourage parents and community members to use caution when interpreting these provisional A–F ratings for the following reasons:

  1. Birdville ISD and all BISD campuses received the highest rating (Met Standard) on the current accountability system. We are proud of our students and teachers for their performance in those areas.
  1. The A-F rating system is still a work in progress. The TEA will make several changes to the system before the first official ratings are released in August 2018. The current ratings are based on incomplete data from the 2015–16 school year and do not include several components that will be included in the ratings in 2018.

Although an A–F grading system seems simple and understandable to most people, the calculations needed to determine each letter grade are extremely complicated and lack transparency. In fact, TEA did not release information to districts on exactly how the calculations were to be made until December 16, 2016. Therefore, it is recommended that parents and community members keep in mind the work-in-progress nature of the A–F rating system.

  1. TEA has limited the number of schools and districts that may be rated as A or B. According to this system, the most common rating across the state is a C. Thus, these provisional ratings reflect performance as compared to all other schools, rather than whether or not schools have met certain predetermined standards.
  1. Ratings for Domains I, II, and III are based entirely on STAAR results. No school’s performance can accurately be reduced to a letter grade based on one test, given on one day. Several problems with administration of STAAR across the state in 2015–2016 have raised questions about the accuracy of scores and validity of test results.
  1. Ratings for Domain IV for elementary schools are based entirely on the percentage of students who are absent more than 10 percent of the time. Attendance at small schools may be negatively impacted by only a few students who do not attend regularly. For example, the rating for a school of 300 students may drop from a C to an F if only three additional students are chronically absent (i.e., the number of chronically absent students increases from 22 to 25). Because elementary students usually depend on family members to get to school each day, our schools are being rated on a factor that may be beyond their control.

Regardless of the new labeling system, we have high standards in Birdville ISD. The new system will inform us, but it will not define us. Plans are already in place that continue to make us an innovative district that is responsive to the needs of our students. In addition, it is important for us to continue to tell our story of excellence every chance we get.

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Notes from Dr. Brown, June 2015

NotesFrom

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday, May 24, I had the privilege to shake the hand of more than 1,570 BISD seniors as they received their high school diplomas. I always look forward to graduation day. It is one of the highlights of each school year to be among the first to congratulate these young adults as they begin a new chapter in their lives. I also want to take this opportunity to applaud our families. I know you are all very proud of your recent graduate.

Now that the school year is complete, work has begun across the District to address various aspects of the 2014 Bond. One component of the Bond is the building of a new West Birdville Elementary School. With more than 800 students plus staff, parents and community members in attendance, BISD celebrated the beginning of that project with the groundbreaking on May 27. It was an exciting day for all involved. The new West Birdville campus is scheduled to be complete for the 2016-17 school year. In addition to West Birdville construction, technology and security upgrades and other campus renovation projects will be actively underway this summer.

Within the next 6–12 months, BISD will be breaking ground for the new North Richland Middle School and Birdville Elementary School. Architects have begun the development and design phase of these two schools.

To keep apprised of each project in the 2014 Bond, visit www.bisdbond14.net.

Over the next couple of weeks, BISD will receive the final STAAR results from the 2014-15 school year. Preliminary data shows continued academic improvement by our students. I am proud of how far our students and staff have come over the past four years and pledge that the District will remain focused on providing the necessary resources to continue in their education.

The summer will quickly be over, but I am confident, we will be ready when students return for the 2015-16 school year.

Have a wonderful summer!

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Texas schools achieving Met Standard rating plus all academic distinctions

AUSTIN – Under the state accountability system, campuses in Texas that achieve the rating of Met Standard can also earn distinction designations in the following three areas:

  • Top 25 Percent Student Progress
  • Academic Achievement in Reading/English language arts
  • Academic Achievement in Mathematics

Of the approximately 3,600 campuses across Texas that achieved the Met Standard rating under the state’s new accountability system and earned at least one designation, 759 schools earned designations in all three potential areas.

Birdville ISD Haltom Middle School
John D. Spicer Elementary School
Green Valley Elementary School

> View other school districts in Texas

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Birdville ISD earns highest rating under new state accountability standards

Today, the Texas Education Agency announced the 2013 district and school ratings under the new State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests. Birdville ISD and all 31 district campuses “met standard.” This is the highest rating possible this year.

“I am proud that the district and every campus ‘met standard’ under the state’s new and more rigorous testing system,” Superintendent Darrell Brown said. “This is a reflection of the hard work of the students and staff this past year. Congratulations to the students, staff and community.”

To receive a “met standard” rating, the district and high school campuses had to meet four applicable index targets. Elementary and middle schools had to meet the first three of these standards:

  • Index 1) Student Achievement – Looks at performance across all subjects and all student groups at the satisfactory performance standard.
  • Index 2) Student Progress – Looks at scores of 10 student groups, including ethnic groups, English language learners and special education students for reading, writing and math scores categorized as having met or exceeded progress standards.
  • Index 3) Closing Performance Gaps – Includes scores of students who are economically disadvantaged and, as applicable, the campus’ or district’s two lowest performing ethnic groups from the year before.
  • Index 4) Postsecondary Readiness – Examines graduation rates and rates of students graduating on Recommended and Distinguished/Advanced plans. (Applies only to high schools.)

 

Additional distinction designations were also awarded in 2013 to campuses in three areas: academic achievement in reading/ELA, academic achievement in mathematics, and top 25 percent in student progress. Distinctions are based on comparisons between individual schools and a 40-campus group with similar student demographics. Overall, 22 of the 31 BISD campuses received at least one distinction and three campuses received the maximum possible: Haltom Middle School and Spicer and Green Valley elementary schools. A total of 36 distinctions were awarded to campuses across the district.

Other academic highlights from 2013 include:

  • BISD test scores exceeded the state average in every area of the STAAR grades 3-8 and end-of–course (EOC) exams, with the exception of one area. (Since seventh-grade math scores were reported differently by districts across the state, these scores were not included in our state comparisons.)
  • Third-grade students exceeded the state average on the STAAR math test by five percentage points.
  • Students taking the eighth-grade math test exceeded the state average on the STAAR math test by seven percentage points.
  • Eighth-grade students exceeded the state average on the STAAR social studies test by five percentage points.
  • BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the Algebra 1 EOC exam.
  • BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the Reading 1 EOC exam and six percentage points above the state average on the Reading 2 EOC exam.
  • BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the Writing 1 EOC exam and eight percentage points above the state average on the Writing 2 EOC exam.
  • Students scored six percentage points above the state average on the biology EOC exam and seven percentage points above the state average on the chemistry EOC exam.
  • BISD students scored seven percentage points above the state average on the world geography EOC exam and nine percentage points above the state average on the world history EOC exam.