TEA rankings mixed for ECISD

Five Odessa elementary schools were listed as academically recognized Wednesday by the TEA while one elementary was listed as exemplary.

One Odessa junior high was rated academically unacceptable.

The Texas Education Agency named Bowie Junior High as the sole academically unacceptable school in the Ector County Independent School District.

Hector Mendez, temporary interim superintendent, told district employees, trustees and the media Wednesday that Bowie was listed as unacceptable because the school’s social studies accountability rating for economically disadvantaged students missed the standardized benchmark by 1 percentage point.

TEA requires all subgroups, or ethnicity groups, to meet a 65 percent threshold when taking the social studies section of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test.

The state agency increased ratings standards this year by 5 percent. The higher standard put more schools and districts in the unacceptable rating, according to an agency news release Wednesday.

The ratings are based on student performance on the TAKS, special education assessment scores and dropout and completion rates.

Bowie’s economically disadvantaged subgroup scored 59 percent. Since the TEA gives a “5 percent exception” to schools, ECISD communications director Mike Adkins said, Bowie ended up one point away from meeting the standard.

“That needs to be taken into consideration,” Mendez said, noting the district has to move forward.

In 2006, 11 of ECISD’s 38 campuses earned “recognized” status compared to the five campuses that earned that designation this year.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Career Center is rated academically acceptable this year after being academically unacceptable in 2006.

According to the 2007 ratings, Reagan Magnet was the only exemplary campus, repeating its rating from 2006.

The recognized campuses are Gale Pond/Alamo, Gonzales, Sam Houston, Ross and Travis elementaries. All of those were recognized campuses in 2006 as well.

Six campuses — Barbara Jordan, LBJ, Noel Magnet, Ireland Magnet, Goliad and Burleson — went from recognized in 2006 to acceptable this year.

Mendez said the district will dedicate any resources needed to help Bowie and other campuses improve.

“That begins immediately,” Mendez said.

Mendez said the district didn’t meet the criteria to appeal the unacceptable rating this year.

The status of each campus will be reviewed along with its data and then a plan will be developed to provide support and resources help the campuses excel, he said.

Denise Shetter, the new Bowie principal, said she and the Bowie campus improvement team have already started to meet and devise a plan of how to reach not only acceptable status but recognized or exemplary status.

“That’s what we’re shooting for,” she said. “We’re not just going to get by.”

Gale Pond/Alamo, where Shetter left this summer to move to Bowie, was included in the recognized campus list for 2006 and 2007.

Mendez emphasized to the educators in the audience the need to collaborate and work as a team to be successful.

“We have the same goal,” Mendez said. “We just need to keep that in mind. If it’s best for the students, that’s where we go.”

ECISD ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS BY CAMPUS

>> Exemplary: Reagan Magnet.

>> Recognized: Gale Pond/Alamo, Sam Houston, Ross, Gonzales and Travis Magnet.

>> Academically Acceptable: Odessa High, Permian High, Ector County Youth Center, Career Center, Bonham, Crockett, Hood, Nimitz, Ector, Austin Montessori, Burleson, Burnet, Cameron Dual Language Magnet, Dowling Elementary, Goliad, Hays Magnet, Ireland Magnet, Milam Magnet, Pease, San Jacinto, Zavala Magnet, Noel Magnet, Blanton, Murry Fly, Blackshear Magnet, LBJ, Barbara Jordan and Cavazos.

>> Academically Unacceptable: Bowie.

>> Not Rated, Other: Alternative Education Center, Carver Early Education Center and Lamar Early Education Center.

STATEWIDE RATINGS

>> EXEMPLARY

2007: 637 campuses or 7.9 percent

2006: 564 campuses or 7.1 percent

>> RECOGNIZED

2007: 2,345 campuses or 29 percent

2006: 2,826 campuses or 35 percent

>> ACADEMICALLY ACCEPTABLE

2007: 3,718 campuses or 46 percent

2006: 3,190 campuses or 40 percent

>> ACADEMICALLY UNACCEPTABLE

2007: 288 campuses or 3.6 percent

2006: 267 campuses or 3.4 percent

Source: TEA